Cheerios on the Floor.

Last year,

one year ago,

we brought our boys home.

Our home has changed a lot since then. We have a lot of fisher price, plastic, brightly colored toys. We don't light candles on our coffee table anymore. In fact, the house doesn't always "smell" as nice as it used to. We have sippy cups in our sink, bottles in the fridge (although less then we used to!), and cheerios on the floor.

We also have lots of laughter and smiles.
Storytime that warms the heart.
Bathtime with giggles.

Cute front teeth.
Dimples.

Today, we added "two toddler/big boy car seats" to the list.

We have two infant carriers...packed up in the garage.

Wow! That was fast.

Cam and Daddy play some games together.

We had a great weekend with our cousins! We fed the fish at the boardwalk.
...went on a boatride.


...and hung out with mommy!

The best medicine.

Today the boys didn't feel well. And when they don't feel well, they are not their happy-go-lucky selves. It makes for a long day.

So, what we all needed at the end of the day was a little story time. The boys love when we read books...and the more animated the better. Their laughter was the best medicine for the diagnosis of "a bad day".

(Chris tried to sneak into the room while we were reading; sorry for the poor video quality and lighting).

Simplicity defined.

What a great Memorial Day weekend!
Chris and I had a little "date weekend".
We went to visit some dear friends at their home in Albany, Texas.
Our families were nice enough to
watch the boys for us while we were away.
We missed them so much while we were gone...
but it was great to get away for a little while.
Albany is a small west Texas town-
full of simple pleasures and a proud history.
Simplicity.

It was refreshing!

We loved getting snapshots and emails of what the boys were doing while we were away! Here are a few of my favorites!

Blackberries!

So, I have had to let a few things go. Having a clean kitchen (all the time) is one of them. And today...I put this challenge to the test. One word: Fresh, ripe, BLACKBERRIES for snacktime.

(oh, and Cam learned to clap (as seen in the second picture). and yes....blackberries were everywhere. )

Iron-man post.

Well, in honor of the Ironman competition here in The Woodlands this weekend (way to go Corey!), it is only appropriate that this post will be very long!

So that is either a fair warning for you...or you have been waiting because I have been MIA in blogland for a long time.

It has been difficult to catch our breath around here. We have been so busy...turning ONE and all! Crazy!

(this is still just a small sample of the party.)

Although we had a big cowboy bash planned for the boys...we wanted to make their actual birthday very special too. So, what better way to do that than to return to the NICU...one year later. Then...to top it all off...we enjoyed some yummy cupcakes that dad brought home. Cam wasn't so excited about the texture of the icing and Sullivan couldn't get enough of it.

(we are so big we can now sit in the chairs in the NICU waiting room)

getting ready to celebrate.

Before the boys actually turned one...I wanted to take some pictures of the boys. So...off to Old Town Spring we went. It was a lot of fun. Thanks for your help, Andrea!

And lasty, I thought I should include just some general pictures from our week(s). In no particular order:

(phone pictures)

I had the best mother's day ever. Thanks!

The boys love the water!

So glad Cam feels better!

Playing with a new birthday toy.Thanks for reading a book to us! We had fun visiting!

We love our twin friends! Happy Birthday, Erin!

Crawfish festival. Such a great time with great friends!
Watching the Ironman.

Tired from watching the Ironman and asleep on the bike ride home.

The end. At least for now.

Happy Birthday. Already.

Last year, on May 11, our twin boys were born.

They were 11 weeks early.

They were so very tiny.

Sullivan entered the world and weighed 2 lbs and 11 oz.

Camden weighed 3 lbs and 2 oz.

They took on the world* from the moment they entered it.

And for the past year they have taken over our hearts.

Thank you to our own parents who love us so much.

I get it now.

So, happy birthday boys. We love you so very much!

*every time we would pray for boys before they were born, Chris would pray specifically for their lungs and that they would take on the world. God is Good!

(due to some technical difficulties, this blog post is a little late. I will write more later on their very special birthday)

Royalty.

Hmn. I wonder if when Princess Katherine and Prince William have children..if they will have cheerios on their kitchen floor?

I wonder if Princess Katherine will ever have a pile of laundry sitting somewhere waiting to be folded?

I wonder if she will ever tire of being called Princess?

What a great week! We had so much fun watching the Royal Wedding amongst lots of other things to keep us busy throughout our week.
Here is the week in review:


Sullivan learning to not only crawl very fast...but climb. Yikes!

Yep. Helping mommy with dishes. (again...yikes!)
I was so lucky to have lots of help (just like I am sure Princess Katherine does!). Cousin P helped with laundry. Thanks buddy!

Cam enjoyed a book being read to him.

We want to be big and strong like daddy so....we eat all of our veggies!

"look at me! I can stand up in my crib!" (yep... mattress was lowered shortly after!)

Oh yes I did! Thanks to www.tomkatstudios.com I made cupcakes for the occasion.

Sam and Cam enjoyed the Royal Wedding also.