The Twins at 4 Months

Can I just say how happy I am that these two are going to have each other while growing up? 

And not to mention how close in age Kinsey is to them. They are already starting to become best friends.

Even if having twins can be difficult at times, it's so worth it. Shayla and Scarlett are past the "I sleep all the time" stage and haven't quite entered the "I entertain myself" stage, so we've had some rough days. They want to be held almost all the time. Luckily, they are starting to enjoy their play yard (Shayla more than Scarlett) which gives me a few minutes to focus solely on Kinsey.

This month we celebrated Mother's Day

and moved to Grandma and Grandpa Walker's house!

Eric home after the long drive.

Scarlett and Shayla experienced their first plane trip on May 30th and did not make a peep the entire plane ride. They were champs!

We even went shopping just the four of us girls with very little crying at the end!

AND they started wearing 0-3 month clothes since they are growing so tall. 

SHAYLA

I thought Shay babe was my "chill" baby, but boy was I wrong!

This little girl is ready to be on the move! She's constantly trying to pull herself up to sitting position, but we're still working on the balancing part. She also spins around in circles attempting to "crawl."

She grabs ANYTHING she can get her hands on whether it's hair, clothes, Scarlett's face, or a blanket. And she does it with dang good accuracy (future sport star?). 

When Kinsey tries to play with Shayla she actually plays back. One time Kinsey kept giving Shay Shay a play basketball and Shayla kept kicking it off her. Kinsey thought this was the greatest thing ever!

Kinsey pushing Shayla around.

Shayla is also my little chatterbox. She is constantly babbling and smiling. Scarlett smiles a ton too but really doesn't make much noise. 

Happy Shayla and Scarlett

SCARLETT

Scarlett is quite the morning person. When she wakes up she is all smiles and happy to get her diaper changed (as opposed to Shayla screaming for food).

She has the most beautiful eyelashes!

Scarly is content just sitting and watching people around her. She hates laying on her back and likes to be sitting up, but she doesn't feel compelled to try to crawl or roll over yet. 

This girl is also big on sucking (aka giving hickies) and is quite the drooler after her daddy. For some reason she also loves grabbing her ear and I actually caught her holding on to Shayla's ear once.

Although I thought Scarlett was the high maintenance one at the beginning, she has turned into the perfect little baby. 

How cute is this?!

Some days are easier than others...

but I think my favorite part of watching my kiddos all day is seeing their relationships grow. 

Sister love!!

First Mother's Day!

I absolutely hated when people wished me a Happy Mother's Day when I didn't have kids. I know they meant it kindly, but it felt more like a slap in the face. This is the first Mother's Day in years where I haven't been sad or haven't minded going to church. This, to me, was my FIRST Mother's Day...and I loved it!

These three kiddos are hard work, and (on most days) I wouldn't trade them for the world!! Watching them grow and learn the simplest things makes me feel like I'm doing something great with my life. 

I gave Eric one requirement for Mother's Day--I don't want to do ANY cooking. With a bowl of cereal before early church, I actually DIDN'T cook at all that Sunday. After church Eric made waffles, sausage, and orange julius. Yum.

For dinner he grilled and cooked up everything on this plate. 

 He surprised me with flowers earlier in the week. I'm normally not a flower person, but for some reason I really love these ones. 

 And I even got a present! In addition to candy and a game I bought myself, Eric printed our family picture on canvas. It's something I've been wanting to do and would probably get around to it in a year, so thank goodness for husbands!

Kinsey made me a Mother's Day card in nursery. It made me giggle so I had to share it. The front makes me believe hand prints should be inside...and here are Kinsey's hands. I think she got a little excited, right?

 It was a pretty perfect day that ended with Kinsey and Daddy making a fort! Don't mind the butt shot. At least it's cute :)

The Twins at 3 Months

I can't believe the difference a month makes! These girlies are still the size of newborns (under 9 pounds) but are definitely learning every day.  

This picture makes me giggle. Kinsey loves them but was upset I took her cup for the picture.

My absolute favorite development this month is when Scarlett and Shayla stare right at me. They recognize me, Eric, and Kinsey. It is adorable! 

To add to the cuteness, they smile now (and it's not an accident)! Shayla has this huge open-mouthed smile...

Happy Shay Shay!

while Scarlett's smile is more of a grin. She saves her big smiles for her mommy and daddy, usually right after we change her diaper and she's looking up at us. 

Scarlett was able to nap better by sleeping on Kinsey's princess chair. Hallelujah! Unfortunately, the good luck didn't stick. Both girls still love cuddling and sleep better with us. 

See? 

For the most part they can sleep through the night as long as we cuddle with them halfway through.

Scarlett loves sleeping with her head back like this.

Sometimes during naps they reach for each other and hold hands. Otherwise, Scarlett could care less about Shayla and Shayla is just now starting to pay attention to her sisters.

I've always said Scarlett is the more demanding one, but the day they turned 2 months old they switched roles on me. Shayla has required much more holding this past month while Scarlett has been more content.

Scarlett and Shayla

To make up for her neediness, Shayla giggles in her sleep. It is the sweetest sound a mother could hear! I'm still waiting to hear giggles from Scarlett.

They still love looking around at the world. And although they both hold their heads up well, Shayla is definitely the champ!

Shayla also babbles quite a bit more than Scarlett. 

No, I did not approve of Shayla playing on the computer.

Scarlett's hair has lightened since birth and maybe thinned a little, but Shayla started balding! She has a nice mullet going on and random hair patches over her head.

Scarlett rolled on her back twice when she was 2 1/2 months old but hasn't done it since. She's a bit more serious than Shayla and can focus really well.

Scarlett could be a baby model!

Scarlett is a total mama's girl, but if you ask Eric he'll just tell you she hates him. I kind of love that she loves me more. Haha. She doesn't take a pacifier as well as Shayla (which makes it difficult for Eric) and is constantly sucking on her hand, or my arm, or Shayla's hand, or ANY skin she can find. 

Scarlett sitting with big sis!

Scarlett and Shayla now have tears when they cry, which is heartbreaking! 

When one baby stops crying the other one tends to start. It's pretty laughable to me. When all THREE babies are crying I just stand there and laugh. Clearly I don't have six arms so there's not much else I can do except find the humor in the situation! 

They are so sweet I wish I was two people so I could spoil each one with all my love. I could seriously kiss them all day long!

Deanna Rose Farmstead

The clinic at Eric's school is closed a few days over break so we hauled our family to the local farmstead. I assumed we would see a few animals and go home but it was a lot bigger than I expected with shops, multiple playgrounds, and walking paths. Eric said, "Why haven't we been coming here for years?" Oh yeah, because this is the first spring we actually have a child to go to these places with. It feels like Kinsey has been a part of our family for years.

First stop: Checking out the bench swings!

Then we took advantage of some photo ops. 

 Next we visited calves, goats, and a giant cow...all of which Kinsey was afraid of. When she saw the goats she said "Baa baa!" Goats or sheep? Same thing in her book! 

 There were some teepees that looked totally legit. Kinsey ran around them with her BFF, Hailey.

 Eric walked down and showed her the geese. 

And then this sugar obsessed mama saw an ice cream shop and the rest was history. Kinsey had her very first ice cream cone!

 She ate every last bite. 

 We took a little detour to the playgrounds where Kinsey went on the slides, one of her favorite activities. 

And on to see more animals and take more pictures. It was a good day out with our family and some friends!

5 Years and Counting...

Five years ago this guy decided he wanted to marry me in the Mount Timpanogos Temple.

 I haven't regretted the decision I made to be sealed to him for time and all eternity. I'm not the type to brag about how great my husband is, but because we've made it to our first semi-big milestone as a married couple, I think it's time. 

Eric has always put me and our family first. When he realized I was a keeper, he worked extremely hard to finish his undergrad in 3 1/2 years so we could graduate BYU together.

Eric chose a career path that would allow him to take care of his family (with some hard work) so we picked up everything after graduation and moved halfway across the country to Kansas. He has been in school year round our entire marriage. 

 Through our countless doctor visits and my endless tears, Eric always stood by my side. He was my rock even if it meant he couldn't break down. 

We've traveled to a few countries during our marriage. 

And our nation's capital! Eric is the best traveling companion. We like to relax and go at our own pace. I always miss him when I have to travel alone.

We found our little Kinsey here in Kansas, and Eric proved to be just as good a dad as he is a husband. In fact, he was the first to be able to get Kinsey to sleep. 

 He is a wonderful Priesthood holder, and we were able to get sealed to Kinsey last fall. 

 Then we welcomed our two little miracles into the family. Eric cuddles a baby every night so I only have to handle one at a time. 

 I can't even begin to tell you all the work Eric has put in to the last five years while still managing to make me laugh daily. He has passed all his board exams with three little kiddos as a distraction, me in the hospital for almost a month, while holding a church calling. He's only months away from becoming a doctor and starting his own practice. I'm so proud of him!

 I love my eternal family so much!! The last five years have been good to us and I can't wait to see what the next five has in store. I couldn't have asked for a better husband to share my life with!