For My Dear Mary

Although I do not blog nearly as often as I ought, I do occasionally read up on my friends and family. I came across a post that had me tagged in it...so I will now accomplish my task!! The five rules of the game are: 1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves. 2. Answer the questions the nominator asked, and create 11 questions for your nominees to answer. 3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post. 4. Go to the 11 people's pages and tell them. 5. No Tag backs! 1. I somehow developed a fear of crowds. I recently discovered this fear and I think it has something to do with control. I cannot control a crowd. Apparently I like to be in control. Who would've thought?! ;-P 2. I was never really excited about having kids when I grew up. I planned on pushing them back and having 2 kids to "check the box". However, my little boys are the most amazing little guys in the world and I am so excited to have more in the future!!! 3. I have a tendency for depression, which is something that I absolutely could not admit even a year ago. However, I am working through it and learning to recognize it when it comes around. 4. I love to organize!!! It is really weird! But organizing is fun =D However, I'm not so good at the upkeep part...which I guess means I get to organize more often than if I were!! 5. I am starting to lose my sweet tooth. I have noticed that people start losing their sweet tooth as they get older. I'm getting old. 6. I love crock pots!!! They're amazing!!!! You can put anything in them and it will turn out delicious! And there are so many different types of recipes for crock pots. You can make soups, pastas, roasts, desserts, mac n' cheese!! Oh goodness! The possibilities!! 7. I enjoy learning about other countries. 8. I have a very avid dislike of video games, but most the people I love really like them. I feel as if I would too, if I gave them a good shot. I refuse though because I am afraid that if I give in to the temptation I will not be able to stop and I do not want to end up like "one of those people." I do not like those people. 9. I expect a lot out of myself and those I love. I see their potential and I sometimes get angry if they do not live up to it. 10. I get angry when I drive and there are stupid people driving around me. And stupid people often drive. 11.I have a horrible memory...it's almost like I do not know how to archive or retrieve long term memory. It's weird and I do not like it. Now for the questions that I must answer: 1. What are your feelings on Harry Potter? I feel like Harry Potter is way over played. It was a good story, yes, but it's so old!!! Sometimes people need to read a good book, live it for a moment, and then move on to a different book. And that's what happened with Harry Potter, except they haven't moved on!!! Sure it is a compelling story and I was among those that devoured it, but that was like 10 years ago!! I have a life!!! 2. What is your love language? If you don't know, then which would you rather have a)gift b)acts of service c)words of affection d) physical touch or e) quality time, and why? I'm not really sure. I would say that quality time is a major one, but acts of service really touches me too. Those are probably the two that I like to give, too. 3. What country would you visit if you could? And if not any then why? There are many, many countries that I would like to visit. I would like to visit just about any Latin American country, since I have studied the language and culture. I would also love to visit Ireland, because it is so beautiful. However, if I visit a country, I don't just want to see the touristy areas. I want to see how the people live their normal lives and what kind of condition their infrastructure is and just observe it all. I do love a good beach, though. 4. How do you like to relax? I love bubble baths in huge tubs!!! 5. Do you believe ignorance is bliss? I think it can be. Feeling like the world is a safe, happy place is very nice. I had that back before I joined the Army, while I was living in Utah. However, that bubble was broken and the consequences are not necessarily enjoyable. Having said that, change cannot occur if people who have the capability of helping do not know the situations, so it is a one sided, selfish kind of bliss. 6. As an American do you feel any responsibility to vote? Or even to be in politics? It is important to know what is going on in the country. The American way of life, the freedom that we are all so thankful for, can only occur if people exercise that freedom and vote for who they want to represent them. If a person is not aware of politics, then they are letting others choose for them. Not only that, but they could just vote for someone without knowing what that person represents, so ultimately they are potentially voting for something that they do not want. So yes, I think every American has a responsibility to vote and to be current in politics. 7. What are your top 3 favorite colors? I like green, purple, and white. 8. Do you or would you like to speak another language? I almost can speak Spanish. I would like to learn other languages, too. 9. Are there any books you would suggest I read? I read Jane Eyre somewhat recently and really enjoyed it =D 10. What are your feelings on nicknames? They're great, as long as the person being called the nickname approves of the nickname. They can be a great way to bond. 11. What does music mean to you? It's an expression.

Life with 3 month twins

It's been pretty crazy. Probably not as crazy as you would think, since the twins are only 3 months. Actually, if you're going to have twins, I would highly recommend having boys like mine. They've been sleeping through the night since they were probably around 8 weeks. Maybe even younger. However, they do not like going to sleep, especially in their crib. That makes "us" time a little more difficult. They usually do not fall asleep until midnight or later, but then they'll sleep in until 11 or so. I mean, they wake up off and on in the morning, long enough to get a quick bottle in, but then they're back asleep. Lately though, they've been sleeping all the time!! I almost don't know what to do with my time! I actually get to clean things on occasion, which is nice. I had previously given up the thought of cleaning during the daytime while John is at work. However, for the last couple of days I have been able to do a couple of chores! I've even been able to make dinner!! I mean...I've made easy, simple dinners, but still!! A dinner is a dinner, right?! We even started going to the gym. Gold's gym has a Kids Club. They'll watch your kids for an hour or two while you work out. It's pretty awesome. Until they're 7 months, they'll only watch them for an hour, but hey! Lets be real. I'm so out of shape that an hour is almost too long! It's so crazy to think that the things that I used to easily do can make me so sore now! But that is motherhood at its beginning stages, I suppose. The boys are doing well. Caidan's big thing is that he wants to be a "big boy". I don't think I've ever seen such a dramatic little 3 month old, but I don't know how many 3 month olds I have really paid attention to. He is very, extremely stubborn. He would probably cry until he died simply out of anger of us not doing what he wants us to do. A lot of the time, that thing is standing up. He LOVES to stand up. Unfortunately, he does not quite have the balance or all of the strength that he needs, so in order for him to stand up, you have to hold him up on your lap, or stomach, or chest...which means my arms get very tired and my c-section area keeps getting swollen. Oh the things you do for your children!!! He is pretty amazing, though. He can pretty much hold himself up, he just needs the balance. He's very strong. And he has the cutest chubby cheeks in the world. His nick name is Superman. I think that one day his stubbornness will be a great strength of his. Johnny pretty much just sleeps. I mean, he'll wake up every once in a while for a bottle, but usually right after he wakes up, he'll just want to sleep some more. That kid is growing so quickly! I call him Lil' Hercules. He has the Hunt build, so he looks more athletic than Caidan does. He has a much bigger build and it looks like a football player. He also has a cute little swirl of hair at the front of his hairline and these huge, beautiful blue eyes. His eyes keep getting lighter and lighter. Caidan's have been getting darker. He is such a gorgeous little boy! One thing that he likes to do is sit up. He needs more support, but he really enjoys it. He also likes to smile and talk to people when he's in a good mood. Oddly enough, his favorite place in the house seems to be the changing table. Sometimes if he's fussy, we'll just put him on the changing table and he'll cheer up and start cooing and smiling...it's really weird, but completely cute. John is doing well at his job. He loves being able to help people out, but it getting tired of talking on the phones. He's so busy, I feel sorry for him. He is also taking a couple of online classes, as well as being a phenomenal father and husband. He's such a sweetie. He is always willing to help me out and do whatever I ask, even if I'm just being lazy and it's something that I could easily do myself. I am so lucky to have him. He's hoping to eventually get into intelligence. He's tired of being a cook. I decided to stay in the Army. I have a very good until here and I actually fit in. I've been doing pretty well in this unit. It's awesome because we're actually doing the things that I wanted to do when I joined. I've been thinking about getting a job, but sometimes it just does not seem feasible. Daycare is so expensive. It would eat up my whole paycheck if I worked part time and half of it if I worked full time. I have determined that doing what I do, I make a notional 1400 a month. Too bad it's not real money. We've also been talking about moving back to Utah. We feel like it's the place that we want to raise our kids. We just need to find a really good job there for at least one of us before we do move back. Therefore, it might be a couple of years. John should graduate in about 2 years, so when he graduates, we're hoping to find an intel job there for him. It's a much better atmosphere for families. I mean, my family is there, for one thing and they are much more positive than John's family. Secondly, the school districts are much better. There are more things to do as a family in Utah. Everything that you can do in San Antonio, you can do in Utah, plus some. So that's what's going on. There sums up my life right now with my wonderful family.

Ultrasound Photos 18.5 Weeks

Week 19 Pregnancy Photos

Update

Everything is really starting to look up for us! It is a very good feeling. With Johnny's new job, we are finally able to pay our own bills. It is really such a relief. We moved down here knowing that it was going to be financially tough. However, we had no idea how tough it would actually be. We certainly had not anticipated it taking three months to get a job. Nor did we expect the Army to take so long to pay us. We finally got our Army pay, though, too. My transfer is still not complete, as far as I know. I did not drill for October, because it should have been completed at least midway through October. Now I have a bit of a mess there to clean up. Besides that, though, everything is pretty good. We decided that I can get out of the Army, which makes me happy. We will feel the loss of my paycheck and tuition assistance, but nothing compares with my ability to be home with our children. If I were to be deployed, it would be a major difficulty for our family. I know that I would not handle it well. Johnny would have an extremely difficult time with me being gone and having two little ones around may help comfort, but would probably make it even harder for him. If we were both to deploy at the same time or back to back...I don't even want to think about those situations. So anyway, we decided that it would be best for me to get out of the military.

Johnny loves his job. He loves being able to help people find good cars that they can afford that are awesome. I went to go pick him up tonight from work and I was able to meet some of his customers. They were really cool. Good people. I am glad that he can have a job where he has job satisfaction. The only problem is that he has to work 10-12 hour days, so I hardly get to see him. I feel so bad for him sometimes because he is also taking classes and he really just does not have time for anything, but he is always sure to make time for me. Sometimes it makes me feel a little selfish.

The pregnancy seems to be going well! I went to the doctor on Friday and I was able to hear the heartbeats! I am so glad to know that they are alive and well. Lately my lower abdomen has been hurting quite a bit, especially when I am walking around a lot. I have really had to slow down with this pregnancy--literally!! I walk a snail's pace...anything faster is just too hard to keep up with!!! It's ridiculous. The crazy part is I am only at 18 weeks. That's about halfway through if you're having twins, which I am! The really exciting part is that I have an ultrasound scheduled for Friday, so I get to see my babies!!! We should also find out about the genders then, so YAY!!!!

I decided to take up cross stitching as a hobby. I figure that since I have nothing else to do...I need a HOBBY!!! It's going fairly well. I made a little rose thing that says Love. Now I'm working on a Bless This House thing, but I am not sure how it is going to turn out, since I do not have a kit or real pattern for it or anything...we shall see. It is pretty basic, so it should be alright and I am definitely learning as I go. I never thought I would get into a needle craft. Or any craft for that matter! I guess my Mormon Mommyness is kicking in.

Week 17

Sooo...these are our Week 17 photos. Johnny says that he should have saved that pose for when I get bigger...I think he looks pretty awesome!

Some Pregnancy Photos

I am finally getting around to posting the pregnancy photos that I now have. Really, I just have around 12 weeks and 15.5 weeks. I kinda suck at taking them. It is really a little awkward to have someone take a picture of your belly, I decided...especially when it is not a six-pack!!! lol



So that is me at around 12 and a half weeks. I'm starting to show!!



And there is John at that same time period.



Here I am at 15 and a half weeks...a lot bigger...where did my once-flat-stomach go?!!




And another one of me. I'm going to have to take John's pregnancy photos for this week tomorrow. =D I think his turn out better than mine ;-)