Owls x2! ..and Holidays x4!!

Yes..it's mid January and I am just getting to blogging about Eli & Ezra's Halloween costumes. #Twins! Hahaha!  We had already had adorable owl hats, so I decided to make their costumes to match.  I started with the wings.  After picking out some great fabrics and felts I began to cut, stitch and glue!

I took white long sleeve onesies and hand stitched some feathers on the front.  I stitched the wings to the onesie and voila! Instant twin owls!! Some striped baby legs finished off the look.

 Of course I had to make them matching Treat Bags!!

Nosey little owls, spying on the neighbors!

After Halloween, and our very 1st Trick-Or-Treat, it was time to start planning for Thanksgiving.  I started with a new wreath for our front door.  A little burlap, a wooden letter, and some flowers from the dollar store and bam! Fall Wreath!

Thanksgiving came and went..the twins wore adorable little shirts made by The Shabby Cupcake..aka..Me!

www.etsy.com/shop/TheShabbyCupcake

It was time to make matching Christmas Eve jammies for the family...but not before I finished the advent calender..

 And some Rudolf Shirts!

Which were perfect to wear while decorating the tree!

Here are the twins jammies!!

We had a great Christmas morning!!

New Years was a blast! We partied Gatsby style..so fun!!

 

Happy New Year!!

WELL!!  If that wasn't four holidays on hyper drive! Phew!! But don't be fooled, there was so much more in between.  Christmas Lights, Gingerbread Parties, Cookies, more sewing and crafting and much, much more!  Hopefully, we are all caught up now! Here's to a new year of blogging..... and having time for blogging!   Stay sweet!

Slow down..Don't grow too fast!!

As each day goes by, my little ones learn something new.  Each outing is an adventure.  Each second a blessing.  Watching Eli stand up by himself, or seeing Ezra try to twirl like Mommy,  makes my heart flutter.  I'm taking many pictures and logging memories into journals.  I'm soaking it all in..but..it's going so fast.  Yesterday the twins turned 16 months.  I finally got around to making them a growth chart, and we logged our first heights.

JBug Images

JBug Images

JBug Images

  
  Dear Eli & Ezra,

                                         Slow down......
     Don't grow too fast!
               Love Always,
                      Mommy

JBug Images

Thankful.

I stepped back from the clothesline.  Shirts, shorts, bathing suits, onesies, all hanging two by two.  "I'm raising twins! Oh my God..I have twins!! And they are mine!"  Yes, I still have these moments.  When you have multiples, you are almost on auto pilot, moving through the day and trying to keep everyone happy and safe.  When the boys are sleeping, my mind is able to just wander where it wants to. That's the only way I can explain it.  It's in these moments that I am most thankful.  I have felt heartache, I STILL feel the pain...But...I wouldn't have my rainbows, had it not been for the rain.  My boys are my world..all three of them.

Family Weekend

We started our weekend on Saturday, heading to York Beach, Maine.  What we didn't anticipate, was the traffic. Ugh! What should have been an hour trip, took about three.  We decided to stop for lunch first before suiting up for the ocean. So.. Sun & Surf Restaurant it was! The food was okay, but the ambiance was great! Seated right on the water, with waves crashing and surfers dancing on the waves. The twins approved!!

                       

                         After eating, we headed down to Short Sands Beach for some water fun!

The ocean was a total hit!!   Ezra couldn't get enough of the sand and waves.  Eli was a little bit more sensitive to his surroundings, but warmed up after seeing his twin act like...well... A Wild Man!  There was a little "pool" of ocean water that was great for the babies to splash in.

                                                  
                                                     But that wasn't enough for Ezra!!
                                                             WAVES!!!!!

                                                                      And.......He's off!

 

He REALLY loved the ocean!!

Ezra & Daddy

Eli enjoyed hanging out with Daddy and playing with his shovel & bucket.

                                         We all had such a good time splashing in the ocean.

After about an hour, the tide was quickly coming in and it was time for us to pack up.  There was enough sand stuck to the twins and myself to build a sandcastle!!  That was fun to wash off at the shower near the parking lot. What?!? They don't heat the water?! Sorry boys.

We all changed into dry clothes and went for a walk to the shops.  This time we had the lighter, side by side stroller, so it was easier to shop.  Do you know there is at least one big step to get into each shop there? Phew! 

The boys first taste of cotton candy ice cream, a stop at the bakery for some take-home treats and we were spent!  It had gotten so late, we decided to stop at The Shore restaurant for dinner. Mommy got a lobster roll..yum!  I could barely keep my eyes open for the ride home.  What a great day!

Sunday was a lazy day.  We took a ride through town and happened across a woman cleaning up the remnants of her weekend yard sale.  I hopped out of the truck, leaving Mikey to sit with the sleeping twins.  I noticed she had a 1979 Little Tikes Cozy Coupe. It looked just like the one I had when I was little.  I had to have it for the boys.  

I mean, Eli sure does look cool driving the coupe! 

Here is the kicker though.... while we were discussing price on the coupe I laughingly asked if she had another one.  And to my surprise she said.. "I sure do!"  What?!  SCORE!! 

Who knew that after a weekend of selling her items she would have not one, but TWO of these adorable four wheeled little vehicles.  And fifteen dollars for the pair! What a deal.

 Now, to decide if I will refurbish them, or leave them as is. Hmm?

Family Portrait..Five minus one.

If you know me, you know I love photos.  And, you also know I'm not a fan of going to a picture place in a mall.  I've always been lucky enough to have some amazing personal photographers capture our special memories.  With that being said, I happened across a Groupon for the Picture People, and decided to give it a go for a family portrait.  We walked through the door at 11am, with the impression we would be the only ones there for the first appointment of the day.  There was a family of boys just starting their session. I waited by the desk for an employee. "Hello..how can I help you?" I told the girl we had an appointment.  She started asking the typical questions..although..I had already gone through everything on the phone when I made the appointment..Oh well. "Who's being photographed today?"  Then  Names..Birthdays..so on and so on.
                                      "SMILE AIDAN!" The words cut through me like a knife and I froze in time.  It's as if I stepped out of my body...but I could still feel my eyes start to tear.  I could sense Mikey's stare at my face, but I didn't look at him.  "Your email?".......M'am?".......I snapped out of it. She had apparently asked me for my email multiple times. I gave her my email, while still in a blur. "Look over here Aidan!..Aidan!" There it was again. I wasn't dreaming.  It was time to walk to the photo area.  I was so out of it, the girls working there must have thought I was crazy. Behind the curtain, on the other side of the room was the family of boys.  A giggling three year old skipped about the room.  "Aidan! Come here!...AIDAN!"  
"We'll start with the family portrait first..OK?"  I stared blankly and nodded yes.  Yes..I thought to myself...The Family Portrait....but...not everyone was here.  We went to sit down in front of the tacky backdrop. "Ugh! I despise the white background!" "What else do you have?"  Yes, I said that out loud.  I was so nasty...it was a coping mechanism I suppose. The girl (not a photographer by the way) started clicking away.  There wasn't much direction, and I was already irritated.  Mikey asked me if I was alright.  "No. No..I'm not alright." "Let's just get this over with."  I heard his name about 87 times..but who was counting?  Of course I could think of this as a sign, as Aidan letting me know he was with us.  It didn't hurt any less though.  Nothing will ever take the pain away.  Nothing will ever fill that gap in our family.  It's amazing how some things can really set you off..and others you take at ease. I smiled through the rest of the session...fighting the tears back with each flash of the camera.

Here's a shot of the twins.  We noticed after, that there were three glasses of lemonade.  One for each of my boys.  

And here it is.  Our Family Portrait.  All Five of us..minus one.