s h u m w a y

Christmas in Utah

2012-01-27T20:15:00.001-06:00

It was the babies' first Christmas! And it was so much fun to see them get excited about all the traditions. We sang Christmas songs around the piano, had a little family talent show, ate some delicious food (they even got to try a few new things) and of course, opened presents.

We were able to go to Utah this year to have Christmas with Dave's family. It was freezing the whole time but didn't snow once! The babies will have to wait another year to see snow.

Christmas Eve we dressed the babies in their green and red pjs, read Christmas stories, ate a Christmas Eve feast, sang Christmas songs, and stayed up late.

Ethan with Great Grandpa Shumway

Jane's checking to see if she has a present

For Christmas Eve dinner, Pattie made Swedish twists and egg casserole. We also had OJ and fresh fruit. Yuuuum. Here is Ethan chilling with Dave and Great Grandma Nomi

Ethan and Layton

Jane getting sleepy on Great Grandma Nomi's lap

So much excitement to see the presents!

Ok bottle first, then presents

Yum yum yum

Jane loved this Pinocchio Christmas tree ornament

Ethan is biting the head of Jane's baby doll, just like a big brother should.

And the favorite present of the whole day, a 2 dollar cup from Old Navy.

E is heading over to steal Jane's cup

Then he got his own. Look how he's treasuring it.

(Not unlike the way Golem treasures the one ring to rule them all. Ok Lord of the Rings is on my mind because I wanted to watch it the whole Christmas break and I never got to!)

Too much excitement, Ethan is being hauled off for nap before church.

Dave got me a beautiful necklace from etsy that has a j and e on it with a little pearl. I wear it all the time, so beautiful. :)

Jane in her Christmas dress!

I especially like the chocolate brown bolero my mom found at the last minute!

My oldest (not in age) friend, Kirsten! She's expecting a boy soon! We've been friends since we were classmates in Joy School around age 2 or 3. She came to visit us the day after Christmas.

Kitty

Playing with Aunt Meagan and Uncle Matt

I love this picture of Jane all cuddled up to Meagan

I don't know what they are laughing about, but Jane looks pretty cute with my necklace on.

Ethan playing trains with Dave's dad

All the siblings on the Shumway side

Matt, Meagan, Bryan, Jonathan, Layton, Dave, and Me

This was Jane's talent for the family talent show. She stole the show!

I love this picture of Dave's mom with the babies! She's holding 43 pounds right there!

December in Austin

2012-01-18T10:57:00.001-06:00

December was quite the month. We spent Christmas in Utah (next blog post) but up until that, we had fun decorating the tree with the ornaments a little higher up than usual (baby proofing), teaching the babies how to hold their own bottles (success!) and introducing them to all sorts of new foods (bananas and toast being the favorites).

E wants to cuddle

Jane's not so sure about it

For Dave's birthday, I got him a PS3 game he has been wanting to play, his mom sent him a ton of candy, and I poured him a big cup of Dr. Pepper. So he ate candy, drank soda, and played video games. Oh and I took him to his favorite pizza buffet for dinner, so he might have been turning 30, but it pretty much was a repeat of his 10th birthday. :)

Oh that upper lip. :)

Little Sweet Boy

Shy Smile

Janey in Ethan's crib

I love how much this kid loves books! When I give one to either Jane or Ethan, they get a huge smile and start flapping their arms. Their favorite book right now is the one in this picture, "Colors."

"I want to play with those headphones."

"Can I have those headphones?"

"I don't like these headphones."

Ethan watching a video of himself and laughing - so cute when he does this!

This is our good friends' son Jaxon with an iPad and Ethan thinks it's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.

Little Janey and Crazy Eyes

My sweeties

"Ethan just look at the camera already, she's not going to stop until you do!"

This was like the 20th picture, Ethan looks worried

There we go.
Merry Christmas 2011!

November Happenings

2012-01-16T10:09:00.001-06:00

I know, it's January. But I can't ignore the cuteness that took place in November.

These girls are so cute with Ethan and Jane. I am friends with their mom and they sometimes come over after school on Friday afternoons to play with the babies

Amelia and Britton loving on E

Amelia and Jane

Pure Joy

My Guy

Love those upper arm rolls and skinny jeans :)

Recently Jane and Ethan have started playing together a little more. We've even found them playing peek a boo with each other a few times.

We had such a fun time at my parent's house for Thanksgiving in Oklahoma. Everyone but Stephanie was there - we missed you Steph!

My sister LeAnne and me

The Thanksgiving table, my mom should basically have her own decorating magazine. Can you spot Jane?

Jane and my brother Brandon

Ethan loves LeAnne's dog, so logically Isaac and I tried to have him ride the dog like a horse. Didn't work.

My beautiful family :)

Cousins

One last stop for lunch at Bangkok Thai before we drove home

Babs and Kev

Janey and Me

2012-01-08T21:53:00.000-06:00

She's my my daughter, my firecracker and my sweetheart

There are times when she'll get really excited about a new toy or throw a little tantrum about not being able to reach something, and I totally see myself in her. She's happy until something goes wrong, then she's really not happy and everyone knows. She loves everyone once she gets to know them. She's careful about trying something new because she likes things the way they are. She's affectionate and loving. Silly and a little crazy.

She's my little girl

October (still catching up here...)

2012-01-06T21:46:00.001-06:00

October was really good and really baaaad. Because Dave had mono. A lot of it. Mono all over the place...

So we had visitors! Both of our moms graciously came to help at different times - I don't think I could have successfully completed the month of October without them (did that sound a little formal? I think the month of October might have driven me a little crazy).

And to the pictures!!

First my parents stopped by to watch General Conference with us and let Dave sleep for a few nights

Those thighs are glorious

E just woke up and is cuddling my mom

My dad trying out our new grill (Dave's birthday present)

My mom brought Janey a new dress, she felt really fancy in it!

And then Janey was given a sippy cup and she was entertained for hours (not really that long...that would be nice though).

Meanwhile, E was jumpin' his heart out

Until we gave him a mum mum (a rice disc treat - he loves them, but they are messy) and a sippy cup

Snuggles form a tired girl

Must be related

A rare kiss from E. He's only given me 2 kisses, so he really must love my mom. :)

I love Ethan's post bath curls. :)

Love that belly

And those big dark eyes

My Sweet Sweet Boy

Best Kisses Ever

Well all of our help was gone, and Dave still had a case of the monos, so we called in further assistance. Dave's mom, Pattie, dropped everything and flew out to Austin to care for her grandkids around the clock.

Jane was happy to see her Grandma. Ethan woke up from all the giggling and was confused for a second, but didn't take long before he was snuggling and playing with her.

Ethan loves to watch videos or see pictures of himself on Dave's iPhone

Watching football with dad

We were so grateful that Pattie came and helped us! Dave was able to recover because he was able to sleep, thanks to both of our moms helping.

Pattie brought Dave's old Alvin toy (from when he was a baby) for Ethan to play with and he clung to it right away

My laundry friend

Cutie Bootie

New toy from my mom, a walker!

Her feet and hands are always twirling and moving. Especially when she's excited. :)

Catching up from September

2011-11-29T21:03:00.001-06:00

Since I am a little behind on photos, I have a bunch to share from the month of September. This is when Jane and Ethan were 6 months old and cute cute cute:

They love watching videos of themselves on Dave's iPhone

I saw this on our video monitor one night. Thought it was so cute.

This was a sweet moment. I was feeling sad that I didn't get more pictures of them sleeping naked from when they were tiny, so I put Jane in her diaper, wrapped her up, and rocked her to sleep. Right when I put her down on the couch for some pictures, she woke up! Her sweet little pink cheeks and soft smiles were so beautiful.

Loving her feet - built in toys

Ethan strikes a pose!

I quietly tip toed in to the babies' room and took pictures of the way they slept so I could remember them at this age. They were totally out! Didn't even stir.

Love the way she sleeps

E with Dave

Me and my girl

Kissing my nose

Nakey Baby!

Pretty Lady

Started drinking from a sippy!

Curious (I made that lil elephant onesie)

Loves being upside down

He found a spot of sunshine in the house and played in it.

So ready to crawl!

They are starting to interact with each other more!

Melting my Heart

I love how he smiles at her.

Cutest little things waiting to be fed.

E is so happy to see my mom!

Bathing my baby Jane like I used to when she was a little baby - in the sink!

Love this picture so much. Her rolls are glorious.

Her favorite part of bath time - sucking on the washcloth. :)

Love this picture, my dad is so happy!

My dad used to do this to me when I was a baby. "Go waaaaaay up in the sky like this!"

8 Month Old Babies

2011-11-18T00:21:00.000-06:00

Ethan and Jane are 8 (and a half) months old and that is so hard to believe! I remember praying that they would gain weight when we brought them home from the hospital. That prayer was answered for sure. My little chunks are nice and healthy now. I remember this picture that my mom took of them when they were a week old. Look how tiny they are next to a Huggies wipes case:

We call Ethan many different names instead of Ethan (as I knew we would do...we are nickname people) - E Man, E, Big Guy, & Bear Cub. He is 22+ pounds (I'll know the exact amount in a few weeks) and has a mop of light brown curly hair right on top of his head. He has the softest skin of any baby I have ever met. He cuddles hardcore, he'll wrap his arms around your neck and lay his chin on your shoulder. Those are some of the best hugs I have ever had.

Prefers: orange baby food (sweet potatoes & carrots), drinking his bottle slowly while watching TV (Dave always has sport's center on while they eat...training em early on), slapping the pages of books with his hands while you read to him, being wrapped up tight for bedtime, falling asleep to music, chewing on his puppy's ears while falling asleep, scoots and rolls all over the place.

He also prefers to sit up or play on his tummy and is getting better at sitting on his own and holding his own bottle. He is the happiest baby ever! Laughs all day (unless he is hungry or tired, then nothing is funny) and even sometimes laughs at nothing. He'll be looking up at the ceiling and crack himself up.

He loves Jane. He wants to touch her feet and hair and take her toys (out of love of course) all the time. Jane is sometimes cool with it, sometimes not. When he first sees Jane in the mornings when we get them out of their cribs, he flails all 4 limbs and giggles at her. It is adorable. He is sensitive to her and cries when she starts crying. He is so gentle around her, there have only been a couple of accidental kicks to the head so far.

He has said
1. Dadadada
2. Babababa
3. Mamama

In that order. Just saying, he might be a genius since M is one of the last consonants babies learn to say.

He notices textures, colors, and patterns - maybe he'll be artistic. When my sister Stephanie came in to town, she played the ukulele for him and he was completely mesmerized.

Maybe he'll be musical. But even if he is neither of those things, it is pretty cute to see his little personality develop.

Here is E at 8 months old:

Oh that upper lip, so cute

He looks a lot like one of my baby pictures right here. Fun to see. :)

Dave calls his curly mop on top the rock-a-doodle. I actually gave him a little haircut a few days ago just to tame it a bit. He looks like a boy now instead of a baby!

Precious Boy - such a sweetie

Jane also has many nicknames around here, some of those include - Janey, Lady, Miss Kitty, & Jane Train. She weighs about 19 pounds and has dark hair that is starting to curl, which is so adorable and I hope she keeps that wavy hair the rest of her life! She gives the best kisses where she just lunges at your cheek with an open mouth and sit there for a few seconds, then pulls back and just smiles at you. Those are some of the best kisses I've ever had. She is such a lady, all her movement are very feminine and her little laugh is more like a high pitched squeal, especially close to bed time when she's a little slap happy.

Prefers: Apples and oatmeal baby food, trying to drink from a cup all by herself (even turns her bottle upside down and tries to use it like a cup), twirling her hands and feet simultaneously when she is excited, checks with me if she encounters something new or is unsure about something, sleeping in the dark with her blanket, puppy, and bink, eating big people food, a later bedtime and sleeping in.

Jane only wants to sit up, she is done with laying down. She even flexes her abs and tries to stay sitting straight up in the bath, on the changing table, and in the stroller. She is the sweetest most even tempered baby I have ever met. If she is fed and well rested, she is completely happy doing whatever you want to do. She is my travel buddy, if I need to go to the store or a friend's house, she is happy sitting in the car and looking out window while we drive around.

She has 2 teeth coming in on the bottom and chews on everything. As soon as she is in the water in the bathtub, her hands are searching for a washcloth to suck on. Once she gets it, she gets a huge grin and brings it right to her mouth. She's entertained for the rest of the bath!

So far she has said

1. Yayayaya

2. Dadadada

3. Some kind of word grunt that I can try to spell - "uuhhhgggg"

She is so feminine and exact in all her movements. She stays back and observes before she tries something. She watches and learns about it, then does it. She watched Ethan roll over for a few weeks before she decided to try. Then she rolled over on her first try (this was back when they were 4 months old). She jumps in the jumperoo and literally looks like she's a ballerina. Her feet are pointed and come together like a perfect plie. She is a lady, just as her nickname implies. Maybe a dancer? Maybe an artist? Who knows, she could be a mathematician and she would still be just as cute (even though, who knows where she would have gotten skills of a mathematician from...not me).

Here is Jane at 8 months old:

And here are my little loves together:

A Pirate and Little Red

2011-10-27T20:37:00.000-05:00

For Jane and Ethan's first Halloween, we decided to dress them up as a pirate and little red riding hood. They look aaaadorable in their costumes. Like I want to dress them up like this every day. We had our church Halloween party already, so they got to give the outfits a spin, and they were a serious hit.

This last picture of them cracks me up, they were so tired and ready to get out of these costumes and go home! Ethan is jealous that Jane gets to hold the bottle. :)

Baby Mush...I Mean Food

2011-10-23T16:38:00.000-05:00

When J&E were 4 months old, the doctor gave us the ok to start feeding them solids. I was all excited thinking that they would love the taste...I mean it HAS to be better than formula, right?

Well they hated it. Both of them didn't see the point. So much work for so little reward. In fact, at first they would just grab the spoon and try to drink it like a bottle - which means they were trying to send me a message = just give us the dang bottle.

At 5 months old the story was the same. At 6 months old, Ethan started digging the orange stuff, carrots and sweet potatoes. Jane was still confused at the point of it all and would gag if I even put the spoon in her mouth (which often resulted in 6-8 ounces of formula coming up as a result).

So we all decided to take a break from baby food for a while. And when they turned 7 months, we (reluctantly) tried it again. And guess what, they started liking it! Now they lunge for the spoon, try to grab it for me, and get inpatient if the next bite isn't coming fast enough. Here are some photos from when they were 6 months. Note the uncertainty on Jane's face.

The Jane Dress

2011-10-20T09:16:00.001-05:00

When I was pregnant, I went baby clothes shopping with my sister Stephanie. There was this beautiful light pink knit dress that we died over. We started calling it The Jane Dress - and this was even before I knew what we were going to name "Baby B" as she was then called. I still had a few other names in mind, but this dress just seemed like a Jane.

Of course we got the dress and I have been waiting for her to grow in to it so she could wear it to church. This last Sunday was the day. She's quite beautiful in it just as I had imagined.

We let the boys join in for one picture. Ethan looked pretty dang cute that day too I might add. Oh and D. Shumway hubs was hot as usual.

Janey and Dave

2011-10-19T12:29:00.002-05:00

Jane is a little more reserved than Ethan when it comes to giving up her laughs. You have to catch her in the right mood. On rare occasion, a few minutes before bed, she gets deliriously slap-happy and you can catch her in a silly mood

Also, in the last couple of weeks, she's been doing this thing where if you are playing with her she looks around to make sure that someone else is watching. She wants to make sure everyone is noticing how much fun she's having. She totally does it at the end of this video - she's just making sure I'm watching.

After clicking play, click the 360p at the bottom and switch it to 1080p - much better quality.

(There was your HD plug Dave)

Updates on Life

2011-10-13T16:56:00.003-05:00

I am going to go ahead and blame my lack of blogging on the fact that Dave has mono. Which is just cruel. Getting sick with mono when you have two 7 month old babies is just wrong.

Also it miiiight be my fault. I had it when I was 19, so there is a possibility I could have given it to him. In order to make restitution for that, I have been sleeping in the guest room so he can pop some Advil pm, turn the fan in our room on high, put in ear plugs, and sleep at night.

If you've had mono you know it isn't just like a cold or the flu. You are tired after you wake up from a 10 hour night of sleep. You are tired by 5pm and ready for bed. You are tired all. the. time. And with twin babies, that becomes interesting. So Dave's mom is actually coming in to town today - hallelujah.

Here are some things that have been going on around here lately. Most of these photos were taken in the month of August so the babies are around 6 months old in these photos.

Ethan grew out of his jammies and we had to cut the feet off of several pairs to get some more wear out of them.


He knows!!

Janey's jammies are also looking a little short these days

Cute elephant pjs

Sunday dinner friends hanging out on the table (we had bbq chicken salad - so good)

Hanging out upside down - watching football with Dave.

So happy, my camera couldn't even capture his fists of fury.

She wants his toy, look at her determination!

Beautiful Boy with Curls

Tired girl

My mom and dad came in to town for a quick visit over conference weekend!

Janey with Grandma Layton

She loves bath time and playing in the towel after is even more fun.

All clean and cuddly

Ch Ch Ch Changes...

2011-09-27T16:43:00.004-05:00

I took some pictures of Jane and Ethan so I could remember how much they've grown in 6 months. Look at how they've changed!

Ethan, 6 weeks old, getting a bath from my mom

Ethan 6 months old

Jane at 3 weeks old relaxing on the couch

Jane 6 months old

Ethan 1 week old

Ethan 6 months old

How have their personalities changed?

When Ethan was first born, he was:

Relaxed

Quiet

Tiny

Wanting to be held all the time

Wanting to fall asleep on you

Now Ethan is:

The happiest, giggliest baby I have ever seen.

Smiles at the mention of his name. When you count to three, he's giggling by the time you say "1."

Started saying "Dadadada" in a really low voice yesterday. It was his first time saying a repeating syllable.

Squeals in a high pitched voice when he doesn't think anyone is listening.

Substantially chunky and deliciously rolly.

Cries when being put down for nap until he is FAR past tired. Then crashes.

When Jane was first born, she was:

Loud

Tiny

Good sleeper (besides the sleep screams)

An easy smiler

Cuddly

Now Jane is:

The cutest smiler - she has a wide open mouth smile that cannot get any bigger.

A little hesitant to go to strangers.

Screams to herself in a happy way when she's playing (which often scares Ethan).

Crinkles up her nose and snorts when she's unhappy with what is going on (getting her arms pulled through a onesie).

Has a cute little cackle laugh but only let's it out a couple times a day.

Talks to her stuffed animals as she's falling asleep.

They will be 7 months tomorrow, hard to believe. Time is flying by and they are changing so quickly!

Childhood Fear

2011-09-20T16:30:00.000-05:00

Remember when I posted this cute little post about the beauty and newness of life:

http://djshumway.blogspot.com/2011/06/newness.html

Well I lied. Life is harsh (ok it's beautiful most of the time, but it's harsh a lot too). The mama bird ended up killing all her baby eggs! Brief flashback to my horrific hamster experience where the mama hamster ate one of her babies. I just came home from school and found that Chip had eaten baby Chip #1 (I hadn't picked out baby names yet).

So what's the point of all this? Ethan and Jane aren't getting pets. Too much weird stuff happens among animals that we cannot be privy to. I know they'll beg, but I'll be prepared. And why am I so prepared? Because I was the number 1 pet begger when I was a child and I knew all the tricks:

I'll take care of her, a bunny would be so fun.

I don't think another dog would be too much for me to handle.

I could always use another kitty to help me learn some responsibility.

I just feel like I need a hamster in my room to keep me company.

Yep, I tried it all. So I'm prepared for...nothing. And in fact, I'm almost willing to bet we'll end up with a golden retriever one day. Here's hoping she doesn't eat her young.

Possible Money Making Idea?

2011-09-19T22:58:00.001-05:00

So I always wondered if I could become one of those You Tube people who captures their kid doing something super funny and then markets it and becomes a millionaire. Should I be morally opposed to doing this? Not sure yet, we'll see how cute/funny/embarassing the potential video is and then I'll make the decision.

In the mean time, here is just a stinking cute video of Ethan laughing at Dave. It went on and on. I think he was actually super tired and slap happy, because at one point after we'd stopped filming, his little giggle turned in to a cry which turned in to a scream, and he was asleep within .02 seconds of beind put in his crib.

Kitchen Makeover - Before and Afters!

2011-09-08T18:51:00.005-05:00

Ok so FINALLY I am posting some before and afters of the house! Wow - we've lived here how long now? Also at one point in this blog I insinuated that this was going to turn in to a house remodeling blog. And 1 year later I am doing the first post.

But check out our remodeled kitchen! The only thing that stayed the same is the floor. We redid the cabinets (painted by myself and my mom), the counter tops (Ikea butcher block), the appliances (mostly all from craigslist) and the bascksplash (white tile installed by Dave and my dad).

Here are the before and afters:

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

Here are some more details:

Toaster, Flour and Sugar, and Kitchen-aid - all within easy reach

Stainless steel appliances found on craigslist!

Mail Sorter and Cooking Utensils

We loved this hardware for the cabinet doors

New Pendant Light above the Bar and Drum Shade above the Table

We Love this Long Breakfast Bar

Sink and Bottle Making Station

Bread Basket and Fruit Stand

Now here it is in the making!

There wasn't much cooking going on in this kitchen. But here is Dave installing the new stove and dishwasher.

Old cabinets and Rudy's cup :)

Cute hubs going something cute I'm sure. Check out the newly installed stove.

Cute mom cleaning the stove.

Time to Paint the Cabinets

(which was a 4 day adventure by the way - not as easy as HGTV makes it sound)

We sanded, labeled, and stacked all the cupboards and drawers.

Looking back, I would suggest using a small electric sander. But we cleaned the cabinets hard core with TSP before hand. Good thing I wasn't pregnant, pretty sure this stuff is toxic to humans just by looking at it.

Then we sanded some more...

And more...

Look at my mom's tan legs by the way, nice!

And kept on sanding for 1 1/2 days! We didn't even paint until the second day.

Ok Day 2, now we paint:

Oil Based Primer first (nasty crap but good crap).

Which stinks and is hard to clean up after.

All primed and ready for the first coat of latex paint. Once primed they had to sit for 1 whole day AND we sanded after we primed before the first coat of paint.

Now the real paint, Mascarpone by Benjamin Moore. Beautiful white with yellowish cream undertones. Perfect for the kitchen. Not too yellow and not too white.

We did thick even brush strokes with a brush not a roller.

They had to sit for a whole day before the second coat.

Second coat went on and looked great (we sanded again in between the 2 coats of paint).

ALL DONE!

Now this is the hard part - WAITING! They have to sit for at least 4 days before you hang them again. Otherwise they will be sticky every time you open them.

But finally they were up and the hardware went in. It looked so nice!

It was quite the project. Probably tied with the hardwood floors that Dave put in. Which will be another blog post. :)

Online Photography Coupon for J. Shumway Photos!!

2011-09-02T11:23:00.000-05:00

I am so happy to announce that J. Shumway Photos has an online coupon through an awesome company called Juice in the City! If you know of anyone that needs family, newborn, child, engagement, bridal, high school senior, or Christmas card pictures -- let them know!

Here is the link to the deal (and it doesn't expire for a year, so think ahead!)

http://juiceinthecity.com/markets/north-austin/deals/half-off-on-location-photo-session-package-with-j-shumway-photos?referrer=1o8asjiths

And just because I can't leave you without any pictures, look at this sweet photo of my littles holding hands. Just saying, I didn't even make them do this:

6 Months Old

2011-08-31T16:05:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I have two 6 month old babies. I have always thought of 6 months as the point where babies are no longer newborns. It's true. They don't like to lay down on the ground anymore, they need to be sitting or on their stomachs playing. They don't like to be cradled in your arms when they eat, they would rather be looking around.

But they are still my little bebes.

They will still fall asleep in my arms, smile when they see me, turn to hear my voice, and even whine when I leave the room (which I'm sure I won't find cute for very much longer).

Here are some photos I took of them before church on Sunday to remember them at 6 months old. Pretty sure this is officially the cutest they have ever been (so far).

Carrots

2011-08-30T17:01:00.000-05:00

Just look at this cutie. At first he would refuse any food that came from a spoon. Then we showed him carrots. And for some reason, he didn't mind those. He also didn't mind them in his eyebrows, eyelashes, hair, etc...

Ruffle Bloomers

2011-08-27T23:31:00.002-05:00

She's in lilac ruffle bloomers and a beautiful cream hat. A perfectly feminine outfit for a perfect baby girl.

Up next, some pretty sweet pictures of Ethan with carrots all the way up to his eyebrows. :)

My Girl

2011-08-24T21:39:00.001-05:00

Just had to share this photo I took of Jane today. Her sweet smile is so precious. Her lovey eyes. Her cute little nakey-ness. It is so her.

Airplane

2011-08-20T11:42:00.000-05:00

Every kid loves airplane. When we first started trying it with our babies, they were a little unsure about it/their safety. Now it's one of their favorite things. And this is one of my favorite things. Especially the squeal about half way through.

Summer Vacation Part 1 - Utah

2011-07-28T21:04:00.004-05:00

At the end of June, we took our first vacation as a family! Once we landed in Salt Lake, our first stop was to visit my Grandma. She was happy to see her great grandchildren:

After visiting Grandma Vonda, we drove to Dave's house.

Thanks to Grandma for letting us borrow her car!

Jane and Ethan got to meet their uncles Jonathan and Bryan (who are also twins)

And their uncle Layton

They were so excited to see their Grandma and Grandpa Shumway!

They also got to meet Great Grandma and Grandpa Eliason:

Then it was off to the best burger joint in the world...yes I said world...

Burger Supreme:

Dave and Bryan (they look just a little alike, don't you think?) with Jane and Ethan

He wants the burger, look at that face! That is a serious burger stare-down.

Ethan's first taste of a french fry. Shortly after this he had a total meltdown. I think he realized that there are finer things out there than the powdery white stuff we give him every 3 hours.


Sleepy Jane with Pattie

As we were about to leave Burger Supreme, there was a HUGE downpour outside. Pattie sacrificed her nice outfit and beautifully styled hair to protect Ethan from the rain and load him up in the car. Dave ran out with Jane and was drenched too!

Matt had to dry Pattie off

Before heading off to Park City for a family reunion weekend, we had lunch with Kirsten and Joe at a delicious Thai restaurant. I have known Kirsten since I was 3 years old and we are still best friends!

Giggling

Yawning

Then it was off to Park City. Every summer, my mother-in-law's side of the family rents a big house up in Park City and the whole family gets together for an extended weekend. The food, games, and company are all amazing!

No but seriously people, look at that double chin! And that roll-y little arm!

This is the famous Shumway side smile. Dave does this and so do all his brothers. I have seen both Ethan and Jane do it already. So cute. :)

What is that face Ethan is doing? I think he's done taking pictures.

Checking out Great Grandpa Eliason

She likes him enough to fall asleep in his arms!

Me and Janie Girl

Is he happy or sad? Not sure.

Kathy, Shayne, and Lily with Jane sprawled out on their laps.

Grandma and Jane


Grandpa and Jane


Grandma and Ethan

Grandpa Shumway must have told Ethan a joke!

Pattie with Jane in our room at the beautiful Park City house. Our room was so nice, we had the master suite thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Eliason. I think they know how much STUFF you have all the time with twins! And we took up every square foot!

Ethan napping on Grandma

I love love love this picture of Ethan napping in his pack and play. You should count the rolls on Ethan's arms. I came up with 10! :)

Ethan finds his feet in Park City

Catherine and Shayne were the best helpers anyone could ask for!

The Whole Group

Before leaving Park City, we stopped by to visit my roommates from college. They were in Park City for a family reunion as well. We found out they were only 5 miles away from us and we had to see them on our way out of town.

No I didn't have triplets, I'm holding Kendall's son Bryce. But this is what it would look like if I did have triplets! Whoa. Head. Spinning...

Ethan and Bryce are friends already!

When we got back to Provo, Jane and Ethan got to meet another set of Grandparents!

Great Grandma and Grandpa Shumway:

Ethan fell asleep sitting up!

SMOOSH

We were all getting along just fine and having a great time...until...

Jane strikes again!


Grandpa Shumway is the victim and she got him good! I think he still loves her though. He's just really careful around her now!

We took a trip to Brick Oven on Monday

Kicking back and chowing down

Tuesday we meet up with some friends that we met in Indiana while Dave was going to grad school at Purdue. Look at all these cute kids!

Lily really likes Ethan :)

It was such a fun trip, Pattie had all the baby needs ready for us including a changing table, Costco size pack of diapers, wipes, homemade burp cloths and blankets for the babies, toys, books, pack and plays, swings, and bouncers! It was such a thoughtful set up and we always had everything we needed.

4 Generations

E looks a little angry

Love this photo

Loving her time with grandpa

{Photo by Pattie Shumway}

Nakey Booty

And here we are on the way home. This is the way to travel with twins!

Part 2 is all about our trip to Oklahoma!

One Day

2011-07-28T14:29:00.001-05:00

One Day at the Shumway House O' Babies

We kept this chart on the babies' bottles for 4 months! This is back when they used to eat every 2 hours (sometimes less). Thankfully now they go 3-4 hours in between bottles.

Some times at the end of the day when I am washing all 14 bottles, I realize why I am so tired. This taking care of 2 babies thing is really really hard. They needs things all the time and you can't just say "Hold on I'm tired, I'll get it in a minute." Well you can say that, but don't expect a happy response.

Some days, the only thing that gets me through (when I have spit up in my hair and down my shirt) is their smile. Their little giggles do it too. Oh and when they do this:

They always seem to find each other's hands.

Sleep Cuddle

2011-07-19T22:18:00.003-05:00

Few things rival a good sleep cuddle with a cute, soft snuggle-y baby. Especially if that baby is sweet little Jane.

{photos by pattie shumway}

Ethan Laughs at Grandma's House

2011-07-14T16:16:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow marks the end of our vacation travel-pa-looza. It will be hard to get used to being without family around to help! But it will be nice to be back home. My mom took this video this morning of me and Ethan having a nice conversation.

In Between

2011-07-07T14:06:00.000-05:00

We are in between trips right now, for about 10 minutes. Dave is loading up the car and then we drive to Oklahoma for a week and a half to see my family. Wish us luck on our road trip!

Life has been treating us good:

Bye

When Ethan Finds Jane

2011-06-29T17:18:00.009-05:00

First off, I have to report that the flight was totally successful and the babies did great! The flight attendants were even complimenting us saying they didn't hear them cry once. Ethan cried a little during take off and Jane cried when the captain came over the intercom and woke her up.

I was lucky enough to sit next to some teenage girls that oooed and awwed over both babies the whole time and even held Ethan for a bit to give my arms a break. The guy next to Dave had kids of his own and helped out as well. Dave and I had to sit on separate rows because apparently there is only 1 extra oxygen mask per row so 2 babies can't be in the same row.

So we are here and Utah is beautiful and humidity-free! It has been so nice to be with family and to see Jane and Ethan interact with them.

I have been waiting to share this video of Ethan and Jane. This is the moment that Ethan realizes Jane is right next to him and that she's his sister. It's pretty cute to watch how fixed he is on her and how happy he is to see her! Most people think that twin infants interact a lot when they are little (I thought that when I was pregnant) but they really don't. For the most part they ignore each other (sometimes even going out of their way to ignore each other). So this makes me really happy:

Gonna See the Mountains

2011-06-28T00:04:00.000-05:00

We leave for Utah tomorrow, it will be the babies' first plane ride. A little nervous about the looks we will get boarding the plane with not 1...but 2 potential screaming bundles of joy. But then they will collectively look at Jane and Ethan's chubby beautiful cuteness and say, "there's nothing those babies could do to make us angry." And then they shall hoist us on their shoulders and cheer.

Whoa I have high expectations.

Also, the roof of the airplane wouldn't be tall enough for any hoisting. And I still have some baby weight on me, so it would take a rather large dude...ANYWAY...

Here's a cute video of Jane being an owl. It's pretty much my favorite thing she does. Her little face is so intense and she sticks her neck out. At first it's me and then halfway through she mimics me.

You've Been Ferberized

2011-06-25T15:13:00.000-05:00

So the babies are almost 4 months old, which means we need to start helping them fall asleep on their own - in their cribs instead of the swing. I've been reading a lot of books about it and trying to decide which method we want to use. The thing is - I don't really want to use a method.

I kinda just want to do what my instincts tell me.

But on Wednesday, I tried the Ferber method. Basically you go in their room in intervals to comfort them and leave again.

I don't think of myself as a softie, but I just feel like some methods are not going to work for twins, and this is what ended up happening:

Every time one baby woke up from their nap, they woke up the other - which means we start all over again. This repeated for about 30 minutes (and I was dead tired) so I brought them out to the living room and let them sleep. They were OUT within 10 minutes. No crying. What is the deal? Ferber would be upset with me.

It felt nice to see them sleeping peacefully though, so for right now, I just have to go with my instincts. The good news? They sleep great through the night in their own beds. So we'll just count our blessings and maybe after this experience I'll write my own book called:

The title needs work.

Father

2011-06-20T08:45:00.000-05:00


It was his first Father's Day yesterday, but if you watched him with our babies, you'd never know it. I love his ability to calm them by kissing their cheeks. I love that he'll change diapers. I love that he calls them sweetie and tells them, "now we don't cry in this family" like they are adults and can understand what he's saying. He's an even better father than I had imagined.

Gerber Baby

2011-06-18T15:21:00.003-05:00

Every mom wants their baby to look like a Gerber Baby. Remember this face?

Round mouth, round eyes, round head = cute baby

Well guess what, Gerber is having a contest for the cutest baby. Am I going to be one of those moms that solicits their children and enters them in to a vain contest like this?

Maybe.
Probably actually.

Because I think they are just that cute.

And the winner gets 50 grand, but whatever that's just a perk. Dave said the runner ups get iPad 2s - we aint got no runner ups in this family. We are going for the 50 Gs baby (welp sounds like I'm committed already).

I think Jane and Ethan would have been friends with Gerber Baby. Who is probably 97 years old right now.

Growing Up

2011-06-15T10:30:00.000-05:00

Some people in this family are already growing up a little too fast.

Coupon-er

2011-06-09T23:01:00.002-05:00

Lately I have been watching that show Extreme Couponing on TV. It is amazing (if it's real) how these people walk in to the grocery store and spend $50 to get like $600 worth of stuff. However, usually it's like 400 bottles of Gatorade.

I wanted to start doing a little couponing of my own. Here's how I do it:

Watch some blogs for big deals like money saving mom, building shangrila, and krazy coupon lady

When I see a deal on something I like, I go to ebay and buy the coupons. For instance, These Nivea body washes were on sale at Target for $2.99. There was a $3 off Nivea body wash in the Sunday paper (which I don't get...and I wanted more than 1). So I found that particular newspaper ad on ebay, and someone was selling 20 copies of it for $10. I paid $10 and got all 20 Nivea coupons in the mail within 5 days.

I went to Target, the body washes rang up to $64. They scanned all my coupons and my total was...zero. Zero dollars. Which means the body washes ended up costing me $10 total!

Same exact process for the toothpaste, only I paid only $2.00 for the coupons this time.

I just did a diaper run at Target and ended up getting jumbo packs of Huggies for $3.50 a pack (regularly $8.99). The cashier looks at me weird when I unload 20 boxes of toothpaste, but we are seriously prepared for some teeth brushing in this family.

Things Kids Say

2011-06-07T23:16:00.002-05:00

These are my nephews and they are excited to meet their new cousin Ethan. The adorable little thing on the right is Alex (5). The toothless cutie is Isaac (7) and the cuddler on my lap is Nathan (1.5). This is a conversation Alex and I had when they came to visit:

Alex: Jessica do you still have babies in your tummy?

Me: (Thinking to myself...oh great I still look pregnant to this innocent kid and he's going to say something about how I look big still) No I don't...I had them already - it's Jane and Ethan.

Alex: Oh I thought so because you look skinny.

Bless you child.

Isaac had a hilarious conversation with Dave when I was pregnant that went like this:

Isaac: Jessica I need to tell Dave something about after you have your babies.

Me: Ok let me get him on the phone.

Dave: Hi Isaac what's up?

Isaac: Dave just so you know, when a woman has a baby, she doesn't lose all her tummy right away. It takes a while - even if there isn't a baby in there anymore ok?

Dave: Thanks for the heads up dude.

Isaac: You're welcome.

Oh the things kids say. And for real, after you have a baby (or 2) it does take a while to lose that tummy. And even if the lady at Target asks "when's yo baby due?" I just need to realize that I was huge and grew 2 human beings inside my body - so ya - it's gonna take a while before I take off my swim shorts at the pool.

Here's to motherhood and slowly getting my figure back by eating no sugar added ice cream instead of the regular kind. What? Giving up ice cream all together? Not an option.

Newness

2011-06-01T22:46:00.001-05:00

Recently I have been hearing a bird right outside my front door. Chirping all day. Don't get me wrong, I love birds. But this chirping literally sounded like it was in the front hallway of our house. I couldn't figure out why it was so loud. I went outside and looked around for a nest. I found it. Right behind our wreath on the front door.

My dad was in town and wanted to know if there were eggs in the nest, so he took my camera, held it up, and snapped a shot. This is the beautiful photo that he captured:

I was so happy to see this! And happy that I didn't knock down the nest. It just reminded me of the beauty and newness of life in the summer. I thought it was cute that this mama bird thought my front porch would be a safe place for her eggs.

It also reminded me of that traumatic time when I was a kid and a baby bird fell out of a nest in a tree in our backyard. So here's hoping all my front porch birds survive and don't drive me crazy with their chirpity chirp chirps. I already have enough squawking going on inside my house with my own baby birds.

Janie Girl

2011-05-30T14:53:00.001-05:00

Here is my Janie Girl when she was 2 days old

The first night we brought her home from the hospital, we knew she was going to be fun.

Her little smile is beautiful and she's been smiling since she was a week old

Her hands get a little outta control when she's around her brother

She loves to play and smile after bath

Her lips are going to have the boys calling in a few years

She sleeps like a champ and can sleep any where, any time.

She's a spitter - so if you hold her...beware

She'll let you know when she's unhappy

She looks like I did when I was a baby

And has to wear a bib because of the aforementioned spit up problem

She has the cutest glare

And is very expressive with her hands.
Here are the many hand positions of Jane Shumway:

She's my little girl

Little E

2011-05-27T16:48:00.001-05:00

This is Little E

He likes to sleep on Dave's chest

He has an expression that we lovingly call "dinner plates" which he uses to express unsure feelings

When he smiles, his eyes smile too

This is his favorite position when he's awake - cuddling you looking over your shoulder

He has LONG eyelashes like his dad and a killer upper lip

And arms like the Michelin Man

His neck rolls have exceeded my wildest dreams

He is the happiest in the morning - even if that is 5am

He blows bubbles with those luscious lips

and when he's done playing with his toys he gives them a stank face

He's my round little bean

He's my boy

Smiles

2011-05-10T09:27:00.002-05:00

I have to say, one of the best feelings is when your kid starts smiling at you. It means a lot to you as a parent.

It means that your baby is generally pretty happy with his/her life.

It means that they still like you even after you took their temperature where the sun don't shine.

It means that those 4 times you had to get up in the night to adjust/feed/change them were all worth it.

Blessing Day

2011-05-06T13:06:00.000-05:00

Jane and Ethan were blessed in church last Sunday. It was such a wonderful day. We were so lucky to have so many family members and friends in town!

I asked my mom if she still had my blessing gown from when I was a baby and she did! We took it to the dry cleaners and had it prepped for the big day. Jane looks beautiful:

Dave's mom also had his outfit from his blessing day and mailed it to us. Ethan looks like a mini Dave in these pictures. He was so handsome:

It was so fun to have them wear what we wore. And the beautiful crochet blankets were a gift from my mom.

It was a perfect day with perfect little babies who slept all through the blessing and didn't cry! :)

Cousins!

2011-05-01T08:25:00.000-05:00

Jane and Ethan met their 3 cousins Friday night for the first time. Isaac, Alex, and Nathan are my brother's boys. Look how cute they are peeking in on Jane:

And they were so excited to hold Ethan and teach him soccer:

Nathan is used to being the baby, so he wasn't sure about Jane. He also really wanted her bottle so we had to hide it from him since he isn't on bottles anymore!

Nathan (1 and 3 months)

Isaac was loving holding Jane:

And both boys has to give Lady Jane a kiss goodbye before leaving:

As they were leaving for the night, Alex turned around and said, "Um Jessica...I think I like my cousins." Success! :)

Some Things are Just More Fun

2011-04-29T18:13:00.001-05:00

So having babies changes your life...a lot. Like - don't even plan on going anywhere cause you ain't gonna make it. Someone will poo their pants and get hungry before you make it out the door. So we just have to adjust and do more things at home or take 1 baby with 1 adult somewhere.

And doing that has proven to be a lot of fun.

For example:

Saturday - Jane and I went to a baby shower together. All morning I was telling her she was going to a girl's party with me.

While we went to the baby shower, Ethan and Dave went to look at a car, which they ended up buying (97 Acura RL).

Also, gardening is even more fun when you have two little sweeties watching you, enjoying the breeze (or in Ethan's case...annoyed by it).

And my favorite of all, a few days ago we put the babies in our bed to watch us while we cleaned the bathroom. They look so grown up chilling in our bed:

So while we miss going out and doing some things...some things are just more fun with babies in our lives.

p.s. Tomorrow is my 6 YEAR anniversary with d. davey shums. And since his parents are in town...we get to go out to dinner!

Easter Sunday

2011-04-26T19:14:00.000-05:00

This Easter was especially fun since we had 2 little cuties to dress up for church.

He likes to play with Dave's tie

Love this face...she's not too sure about the amount of excitement on my face.

My little lady

My sweet boy

I put them next to each other on the couch, check out the progression:

It was a great day and we even made it to 2 out of 3 meetings at church before we had to go home for multiple feedings and diaper changes!

First Day at Church

2011-04-19T22:16:00.001-05:00

We took the babies to church for the first time this past Sunday. How did they do? Dave was out in the hall with Ethan about 5 minutes after it started and Jane slept the whole time. Ethan got hungry a little early (or maybe he didn't like the organ...it was one of those problems) so he missed most of the meeting.

But look how cute they look! Jane got a few more pictures because after one photo Ethan was DONE having the camera in his face. :)

E looks a little concerned but he's oh so studly

She looks so grown up right here

Sleep smile

Beauty

And I just had to include this picture of Ethan on Dave's lap. Love this little boy.

Happy Friday

2011-04-15T18:20:00.003-05:00

This week we:

Tried out the double stroller.

Verdict? Liked it a lot

Duked it out over who had to take a bath first.

Tried on new outfits and grew out of 3 pairs of pants. They became capris.

Took some good naps and increased the size of double chins.

What a good week it was.

Bath Time with Grandma

2011-04-12T22:44:00.001-05:00

Ok I admit it, I am kind of nervous to submerge these slippery little babies in water. So I have been sponge bathing them since we brought them home from the hospital. Well, now that Grandma's in town, she gave them their first sink bath and they loved it. Kind of. There were mixed emotions. But I think it was a good first introduction to a real bath.

Fun times. Also guess what? Since I became a mom, I have taken on this new brave bug killing role. There was a spider in the kitchen the other day and I was holding Jane when I saw it. I literally ran at the spider and stepped on it so fast that it didn't even know what was coming. Usually I would have said something like, "Daaaave there's a spider in the kitchen, come kill it, ew hurry it's crawling really fast and getting closer to me!!"

Not any more. That spider was an immediate threat to my family (you never know if those things can jump...5 feet 9 inches in the air...but still).

Brave New Mom

If I saw a cockroach though, we would move.

6 Weeks Old

2011-04-12T00:07:00.001-05:00

We made it 6 weeks!

Hard to believe Jane and Ethan are 6 weeks old already. I love their double chins, their growing personalities, their smiles, and their little noises.

{JANE}

Still very expressive with her hands. Gives us the "talk to the hand" when she's bothered by what we're doing. We finally caught it on camera:

Talk to the Hand

She means business when she's hungry and has been like that from day 1. She smiles more and more every day and loves to be held while she's sleeping (uh oh).

{ETHAN}

Since passing Jane up in the weight category he's really taking this weight gain thing seriously. His double chin is my new favorite thing in life.

He is still very curious and doesn't like to be held in any position where he's missing out on things. He stretches every limb of his body every time you un-swaddle him and yawns simultaneously.

Happy 6 Weeks to my babies.

Grandma Comes Back Tonight!

2011-04-09T13:38:00.000-05:00

My mom comes back tonight for 1 more week of helping us (unless her flight plans have been mysteriously changed). When she left, the babies were 3 weeks old. Now they are 6 weeks old (on Monday) and have chubby cheeks like she's never seen. Check it:

Jane chillin in the boppy.

Double chin all the way. Double complete chin.

And look, they're already getting along:

Except I'm not sure Ethan's digging the current seating arrangement.

Happy 200th Post!

2011-04-06T00:12:00.004-05:00

Wow it's hard to believe that this is the 200th post on this blog!! It is so much fun to go back and read all about what was going on during the different months (and years) since I started it.

In honor of the 200th post, I will post the 200th picture that I have taken of the babies (ya right probably more like 471st and 472nd picture). Is it bad if your 5 week old knows the sound of the camera shutter already?

Little E, Froggy, Little Man, E Man

Baby Girl, Miss Kitty, Little Love, Janie

Growing Up

2011-04-01T12:28:00.001-05:00

We went to the doctor for a quick weight check - Jane weighs 8 pounds 3 ounces and Ethan weighs 8 pounds 8 ounces!! This little fatty has put on almost 3 pounds since birth! And I mean fatty in the nicest way possible, I promise to stop calling him that at least by the time he's 15 or 16.

But for real, when your life centers around getting them to eat and making sure they are gaining weight, fatty is a compliment. And we were very happy with their weights. Dave said he would buy them each a milkshake.

By the way, we did the math the other day - we've fed them about 272 times...EACH since they were born. WHOA. That's a lot of feeding, burping, and changing.

Here are some recent pictures of our little cuties:

1 Month Old and in Real Outfits Now!

2011-03-29T12:02:00.000-05:00

I had to take some pictures of Jane and Ethan in their first real outfits (not sleepers). It is getting a little more fun to dress them in cute clothes since they don't cry as much during diaper/clothing changes. I mean, you would be upset too if there was someone shoving your arm through a onesie.

Jane's shirt says "pint sized" and she's laying on a beautiful blanket that Dave's mom made:

I made Ethan's onesie - it's a little yellow giraffe. It's an applique iron on thingy. And check out the beautiful blanket he is laying on - my mom made it:

Dave's mom is still here helping us out (thank goodness). She'll be here until Friday. These kids are so lucky to have so many loving grandparents and friends that hold them and love on them.

Can't believe it has been a month already. They're growing fast and I'm trying to hold on to every moment. Except when Ethan fountain peed on me earlier today. That one I can forget. :)

Basking in the Sun

2011-03-27T15:11:00.000-05:00

When I was pregnant with twins (ya like 1 month ago) the only thing I could think to relieve anxiety about the coming change was, "we'll have them on the same schedule." That way, it's really like having 1 baby, just double the amount of feeding/changing.

Right?

Nope. Jane and Ethan are different people. They don't always want to do things at the same time. That is what happened last night when we were up with them 6 times. 6. Times.

Silly kids thought the middle of the night was day time. Ha ha ha (crazy sleep deprived laughter). But guess what the result is? Oh so cute sleeping kids this afternoon. Their cuteness makes up for the amount of sleep lost last night.

For real, check out this cuteness

Here's hoping that as they get older, they like mom's idea of a schedule...