So What Wednesday!

Linking up with Shannon again this week for a little So what Wednesday! This week I'm saying so what:

• If I have been at the same weight since I stopped my diet after my brother's wedding in August. It's been two months and I didn't gain any weight.I think that's pretty good since I only exercise sporadically. 
• If I am starting a new diet today. I'm doing the 3 day diet I lost 9 lbs on it last time I did for 3 sessions and well I actually kept it off so this is my jumpstart to getting into my pre preggo pants.
• If I think I am going to try the couch to 5k program. I'm not a runner but its something I have been thinking about for awhile. 
• I love my job but I seriously think about becoming a stay at home mom everyday. Thanks to student loans- that dream is a long way off. But we are on Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace and it may be some sacrifice but I know we will get there. 
• If I finally bought new clothes in a bigger size. The maternity clothes I have been wearing are now too big and well this Momma has to start looking put together. Plus Anthropologie (my favorite pre-preggers store was having a good sale) So these pretties will be at my doorstep soon. Plus with a belt, I can wear them even after I lose the last 15lbs of the baby weight.

• I am on the lookout for new pair of fall boots. I am lusting after so many but the price tags are just too high. (I once had a great collection of shoes from my department store working days- however thank you pregnancies for growing my feet a half size and making all my shoes too tight)
• I already started Christmas shopping. I have to buy things when I find a good deal so we can spread the costs and not get hit with a giant december budget.
• While looking for Christmas presents I decided to buy some new toys for the twins. They are bored of their old toys and they don't have any big girl toys so I bought them a little play kitchen and a lalaloopsy playhouse since it was half off at walmart and I thought the colors were cute. My girls don't watch tv so they don't know who lalaloopsy is but how scute is that little house!

• FYI: I don't have anything against tv. The girls literally will not even look at it. Like at all. No matter what I put on- their attention is never drawn to it. I guess I should be thankful, but honestly I wish I had something to engage them long enough for me to get stuff done other than climbing in drawers.
• Speaking of drawers- the drawer the girls like to sit in finally had it's track fall off and I was't even mad about it. It was bound to happen with forty lbs on twin sitting in it and it really is a cheap and easy fix. 

• We went grocery shopping at 11 o'clock last night. Its the only free time the hubs and I had after work, kids, and Tuesday Family dinner. 
• We have nothing planned for this weekend and I am seriously looking forward to just staying home and hanging out with my girls. 

Weekend ReCap

It was a pretty wonderful weekend in the Skylar home. We went to the fall festival/corn maze/ deceased farm on Saturday. It was absolutely FABULOUS!! The girls had so much fun. There was so much for them to do.

The farm was an hour away from us so it was an early start to the day. But the girls woke up in a great mood although earlier then needed. I managed to get myself dressed and all three girls. I ended up rethinking the outfits I had decided on earlier. The original outfits were a lighter purple and I worried with all the corn maze/pumpkin patch 'exploring' too much dirt would show. I was very pleased with my second choice cordory floral dresses with leggings and their stride rite 'ugg' boots. Plus Peyton had the matching skirt so it made for instant outfit coordination which I adore for photos. I am sure one day they will look back at their photos and say "Geez Mom- why did you always dress us the same?!?" I know they'll say it too because I said the same thing to my mom and then I had twins and well I couldn't resist.

Anyways, the farm was great. We met other twins though it seems as though I was the youngest mom there so my hopes for making new friends were a little dashed but my babies had so much fun which was well worth the drive.

On to the photos because honestly one baby equals cute, two babies equals super cute, but three babies- that's pretty much off the charts and I'm not just saying that because their mine. Okay maybe I'm a little biased but seriously for all you one baby mamas out there imagine a little carbon copy sitting next to your little one and tell me- he/she doesn't look all the more adorable because there are now two.

 So we started the day at the corn sensory table: seriously making one for my house. The girls loved it I'm thinking I could but a sand box and fill it with the corn kernels or maybe rice. Oh, and ofcourse I took the girls photos with the other sets of twins I came across.

 They would have sat in the corn all day if I let them, but there was so much to do plus other kids wanted to use the table too.

 I love the photo of Bree She LOVED the swings. First time swinging on the big girl swings- I normally put her in those baby ones at the park. Perhaps Santa will bring us a swingset for the backyard.

 Pots, big spoons, hung on chains. Brilliant. Pefectly happy toddlers and so easy to recreate.

 

 So many things I want for the backyard. I need a bigger backyard. They loved the slide, the sandbox, and a giant tunnel. I had to pry them out of that tunnel so that some older kids could use it. apparently, you are supposed to spin it while sitting in it.

 

 Then they sorted pumpkins and Mama tried really hard to get a family shot but this was the best we could get.



Further proof, that it is IMPOSSIBLE to get three little ones to all look at the camera and smile. Oh well- I cannot wait for next year. It was such a joy to see them so happy and actually participating in all the actvities as best they could.

Fab Friday!

I am linking up with Laura again this week for Fab Friday. I can't think of anything more fabulous than the fact that it's friday but still lots of great things happening this week so here are all things FABULOUS in no particular order :

• I just found a great deal on Christmas gifts for the girls' cousins (all under age 3). WooHooo for 6 kids off my list at just 7.50 a kid for an item that is normally 20 bucks a piece. In case you're interested in scoring this deal yourself, it ends today: I got the happy napper sets: You get two sets shipped for 14.98. My twins have the pillow pets and LOVE them so hopefully their cousins will be fans of these cuddly guys:

• Fall Festival is tomorrow!! This is my first fall festival. I grew up in MIami and well we don't even have Fall let alone a festival. So I am hoping to start a fun family tradition with my girls.
• I get to see my college roommate this weekend thanks to her baby shower! She normally lives four hours away but she is having her baby shower just an hour from me at her in-laws!

(Us (left and center) at Graduation 2006- just ignore my second round of braces at 22)

• I am wearing my first pair of non-maternity pants in like two years! Okay its two sizes bigger than my pre-babies size but heck I've got buttons again and stuff isn't pouring over my pants!

Well that's all the fabulous I've got for now, but stay tuned for what I hope to be a fun fall festival recap and pics!

15 Months!!

So the twins had their 15 month appointment yesterday. The shots didn't go that bad, the waiting however was rough. Holy smokes whose idea is it to make 15 month olds wait for 30 minutes in the office for the doctor to come in. I'm not talking about the outside waiting room. You know the one with the toys and open space. I'm talking that little room where the doctor sees you. It had been a few months since we were here and they weren't such big "explorers" back then so it didn't occur to me to bring some toys or something to entertain them. I only brought their stuffed Pooh Bear as a soother.

Oh and you see those cabinets in the background. Totally NOT locked! Good thing they were empty although filthy. I spent at least five minutes of my life saying "No, No, Dirty!" until I gave up. Funny how once you give up they lose interest.

Anyways, we survived. The best part is the girls are doing perfect. We are actually in the 90 and 70 percentile for height (Layla is currently a half inch taller) and average for weight and head circumference. This may not be a big deal to some but for my girls this is huge. Please note that those percentile are adjusted for being born at exactly 33 weeks. But at our last appointment, 12 months, we had just hit 33% and before that 9 months we were 14 percent. And well before that my little ones still weren't on the charts. They were born at 33 weeks, Layla was 5 lbs 1 oz and Bree was 4 lbs 10oz. We didn't have many health issues aside from some jaundice and issues eating since we were early they didn't have the strength to finish all their feedings so they were on feeding tubes for a week- rotating feedings. One feeding was tube the other bottle. We spent a total of 12 days in the NICU but we left with two healthy babies. And I get so excited with every milestone they accomplish.

I am so excited to see some new faces peeking at my little blog. I am working on getting an about us section up and hope to post the girls birth stories too. I get very excited to talk to other mommies so feel free to say hi. Odds are if you make your way to my page I'll find my way to yours. i love hearing stories and checking out tips from others. It's funny because all though I have 3 kids- I am pretty new at this mommy thing.

So What Wednesday!

I'm linking up with Shannon for So What Wednesday! This week I'm saying so what to:

• If I had to wash a load of towels twice becuase I left them in the washer for over a day. And then had to dry off with a tshirt that night because those were the only clean towels left.
• I have decided I am not organzing babygirl's drawers because a certain pair f twins favorite game is throw all the clothes out and sit in the drawer.
• I am so super excited for the fall festival we are attending this weekend and have the girls outfits all picked out already.
• I have a camera full of pics and haven't printed one just yet.
• I started redecorating the twins' room and it's still not done. I have lots of stuff that still hasn't made its way on the wall- ie growth charts, canvas prints, adorable owl decals, and frames with no pictures in it yet (see above)
• The rooom isn't going to happen this weekend either because we will be going to the fall festival.
• I cannot motivate myself to paint the house. Everything is still builder beige and its driving me nuts but painting is soooo much work. I can only imagine what it'll be like with two curious little ones around.

So thats it for me. I cannot tell you how much I wish it was Friday! Hope everyone has a fabulous rest of the week.

The First Move...

In blogger world, the people I cyber stalk whose blogs I read have been engaging in a 31 day challenge of their choice and one of my super favorite bloggers, Shannon has been doing a series on being a better wife. I thought on and off about experimenting on a similar challenge but then the hubby would tick me off and I say pfft not gonna happen. Well Friday night- something must have clicked for him ( though he states he got advice from the guys from work on how to get more nookie- lol) but anyways he CLEANED the bathroom.We have lived in this house over a year and he has never cleaned a thing and well it has really changed our lives weekend. That little step made me want to do better. So when he came home later that day I had his favorite crab pretzels waiting for him and that scored me major points. He then took the kids for a wagon ride that evening before baths which again hardly happens. I'm sure most  moms out there agree or maybe its just me but there is something super sexy about a man taking care of his children. So that led to me putting off nightly chores- ie washing the mountain of dishes the next monring instead of that night and I instead cuddled in bed with my hubby for the night and we laughed and watched movies and had adult time. It felt just like before we jumped hyperdrived into parenthood.

It was PERFECTION! And then Sunday rolled around. I was able to wake up before the girls- who slept in later than usual which allowed me to get the dishes done and a cup of coffee before getting all three up to start our day. He went to work as usual but came home for lunch. he even brought me the Sunday paper unasked because he knows I like to go through the ads and collect the coupons. The weekend was everything I had always imagined my life would be. I had a family. A husband who was present and considerate. He even gave the twins a bath (again something he never does) and that little act just lightened my load enough to give me the energy to spend time together. We hung out and watched Dexter and just talked like old times.

To think all this change with just one step.  I wonder if I had made such a step sooner could our relationship be further along. I spend a lot of time being a good homemaker- cooking dinner and cleaning and doing laundry and  a good Mommy that I forget that being those two things doesn't add to being a good wife. Sure it is a part of it making sure he eats and has fresh clothes for work and that our bills get paid but a BIGGER part is making time for us. Doing things for us to make sure our flame doesn't go out. The point I guess I am trying to make it is that we all know all relatiopnships have their ups and downs but it is truly amazing how a small gesture can start the monentum in any given direction.

Fab Friday

Fab Friday link with the lovely Laura!

So I am super excited to be doing my first link up in like FOREVER! But its even better since I get too talk about things that are Fabulous and well I could use a little reminding of all the positives:

1. Definitely super duper excited that its the weekend! Love my job but so excited to just be home with my girls.

2. The Mothers of Twins Club I'm dying too officially join is finally having a Saturday event next weekend (usually their meetings are on Tuesday nights) and I'm planning on going. So looking forward to meeting other twin moms. Plus its a fall festival and that means the girls first pumpkin patch and corn maze and hay rides.

3. Also fabulous- the new camera the husband got me out of guilt for never being around. Its the fanciest camera I ever owned and its easy to use and takes such great pictures which I have been taking lots of.

4. Also the cooler weather is sort of making its way down here pushing out the Georgia heat some which means the girls can finally start playing outside. (excuse the blurry pic- its a pic of my camera screen- I need a usb cord to upload photos from my fancy camera)

5. The cooler weather let me justify buying the girls some fun new fall outfits and I am dying over Crazy 8's Pocketful of Petals line- seriously loving the owl theme. Plus everything I bought was fifty percent off or more plus my 20percent coupon. Buying on sale is a must when I have to buy two of everything (sometimes 3) though I am in luck that babygirl #3 has lots of handme downs from her big sisters that are in super condition.

My keys to Sanity

Sooo... My college roomate is preggers and her baby shower is next weekend. She has decided to wait to find out the sex (Bless her heart- I am too much of a planner for that) But- because she's not saying the sex it makes gift buying a little more difficult because I always want to give something that will be used but its hard to avoid the pinks and blues so I got to thinking what I absolutely loved and HAD to have both when I brought my twins home and babygirl #3.

So here they are in no particular order:

With my twins- I had the Baby Trend double snap and go. We got it for free from my cousin whose twin boys had outgrown it. Its a very basic stroller retails for about 80-100- very reasonable by twin stroller standards and it did everything I needed. Most importantly allowed me to take two twins to doctors appointments on my own by just pulling the carseats out of the car (which meant I never had to wake them up) and locking them in place. Plus its very light ( a lesson I would learn the hard way with the super fancy double I bought about 5 months ago- alas thats a story for another day)

 






Bottles- LOTS of bottles!!!! If you have twins I HIGHLY recommend purchasing enough bottles for the day or atleast half a day. Those few months are tough and I really did sleep when the babies slept which means mommy was not washing bottles after every feeding. I used a few brands as I got a few as gifts and my absolute favorite and the only ones I am still using are the Playtex ventaire narrow. I love the elbow shape- makes for easy positioning in my opinion. Not super expensive. And yes I did try out the Dr. Brown's and Born Free. I actually hated them and the girls had terrible gas from the dr. browns. Oh I also used the NUk natural orthotic ones for baby girl #3- she was breastfed directly where as I pumped exclusively for the twins (I was a chicken back then and the idea of two babies latche on to me freaked me out). If only I had know how easy and bottle free I could have been- because I know not everyone does but I had a wonderful experience breastfeeding baby girl #3. I also recommend a drying rack- I have a munchkin one (6-10) dollars and a microwave sterilizer for the bottles my cousin gave me- I'm a little germ paranoid back then and it just gave me piece of mind.

Also a must have in my book is a bouncey seat. We had two for the twins and I tried out quite a few because the girls loved to rock so I tried getting a fancy one that rocked itself but they HATED it and LOVED the cheapy 25 dollar ones. We started out with one to see if a second was a necessity and it was. Both girls adored it. Still sit in it till this day and they are 15mths. The one on the left (pink) they didnt like as much as on the right and I ended up giving away and buying another one like the one on the right with a different pattern. The one on the left you can tell sits them up straighter and wasn't as "recliney" as the brown one. I also have a swing (just one)- it got used and still does but nothing like the bouncey seats.

 



Also smaller items on my list include:

baby gowns to sleep in- seriously those stupid onesie buttons were tough when I had slept like 20 minutes between night feedings- yes feeding two babies who were premies and ate pretty slow, burping two babies, changing two babies who pooped after EVERY feeding without fail- took forever and they HAD to eat every three hours as we came from the NICU and were underweight.

Sleep Sacks- seriously- I love sleepsacks for the colder months my girls move so much they always kicked their blankets off. Though during the first few months they were so tiny they were swaddled in receiving  blankets.

DIAPERS- Yeah we went go through a LOT of diapers. I prefered the Pampers when I had premie sized and newborn. But I love the Luvs brand for size 1 and above- they don't leak and they are good quality for the price. Let's face it I have three kids in diapers so we can't spend our whole budget on fancy diapers when these work great and seem to fit comfortably. I've bought the Up&Up from target and I'm not a fan- they feel cheap, thin and rough relative to the namebrand diapers. But I will say the protection is the same as in I did not have leaks but I only used those for a day. I was out and forget diapers for #3- she didn't complain.

So there you have it- a small list of things that got me through the first few months with my sanity intact- mostly. I'm sure there are a few more but these I got so much use out of and the investment or gift was worth every penny. After all that- I think I might try to get all pinterest-y and make a diaper cake as my shower gift. I loved the one my friend made me and first I used it for decor in the twins' room and then once they got to the size 1 diapers the size the cake was made of I used those. So stayed tuned for a possible diaper cake post- unless I lose motivation and opt for a bathtime set.

Bragging and B**tching!

Why hello there all!! I know I come and go, but I'm back for now (mostly). Atleast I hope. I just watched the Julie/Julia Project- interesting movie and more inportantly a little blog commitment motivation. If you haven't seen the movie the girl (julie) gives herself one year to do the entire Julia Childs cookbook (all 525 recipes) in one year and blogs about it. Long story short- blog become s a big hit, she writes a book and it gets turned into a movie (true story by the way). Okay I'm not writing a book any time soon- but I do want to make more friends out here in the bloggy world since momma needs more grown ups to talk to.

ANYWAYS- onto my new Sunday feature- Bragging and b*tching!

BRAG: Totally commited to my first pin-pletion. Yep- finally did one of those hundreds of things I pinned. WHat would that be you ask- well I started freezer cooking! Yep- this momma now has 14 meals frozen in my freezer just waiting for a lazy busy day when I need dinner in a pinch. So wooohooo for atleast 14 days of no take out! (upcoming post on the details soon)

B*tch: My MIL works ALL weekend now- so I have 2 14 month olds and a 4 month old to watch solo (hubby works allweekend not that he watches kids anyways) for over 48 hours. My mom took  one of the twins today and let me tell you- having just two kids seriously felt like a vacation.

BRAG: I know every mom thinks their children are future geniuses but I get so excited every time the twins learn something new and friends their ages can't do it yet. The twins can now snap their fingers, climb up and down stairs, and identify a majority of body parts on command- toes, hands, knees, belly, teeth, hair, and nose. Trying to teach them colors.

B*tch: I am beyond jealous of all women whose husbands actually enjoy their kids and help out. Seriously, hubby doesn'tdo anything for the girls. I'm not even just saying it- You know how some women complain because they do 70 and there husbands do 30 or 80- 20. Nope its totall 100- 0. He doesn't feed them any bottles or meals, doesn't do baths, doesn't change diapers. has NEVER watched them on his own EVER! Yeah, so ladies if your man changes one diaper, one bath, one meal, one bedtime any day of the week. I wanna be you cuz this mama is one TIRED single parent!! (I always said I would keep all the bad off my blog but this lady needs a place to vent and this is my little piece of the internet)   

BRAG: My family is AWESOME!!! Seriously, I would be on the verge of a nervous breakdown (not to mention dead broke after payng for childcare) if it wasn't for my mom. MIL, and dad rotating to watch the girls while I go to work.

Anyways, hope everyone had an awesome weekend- would love to hear what your bragging and b*tching about this week.

Fitness Friday?!?

Okay, so yes I know I have been ignoring my blog- but this mama is off maternity leave which means I spend my precious time watching my baby girls. I can't wait to update you on what they are up to now. We've got their cousin's tea party birthday today and I can't wait to dress my babies up - pearls and all!!!

I swear thats coming as well as the twins' nursery redo and baby girl's nursery/playroom reveal as soon as I finish my last DIY projects. I'm so excited!!! I'm going to take on this house one room at a time- but ofcourse I start with the girls' rooms first because baby stuff is just too presh and I can't help myself.

Anyways, I ignored the blog but not my fitness goals- and well (drum roll please!!!) I am now weighing in at 159!! Super excited- that puts me under what I weighed when I got pregnant with baby girl #3 but still not at my pre-twin weight but I'm getting there. Still wearing my maternity clothes but hopefully not much longer- my closet is lonely :(

Hope you ladies are doing fabulous- can't wait to peek in on my regular blog reads. I love seeing what other mamas are up to!

Friday Fitness!

So it's been two months since I gave birth and I'm officially beginning my baby weight battle, but I don't just want to lose weight I really want to get my fitness level back to where it was before TWO consecutive pregnancies! So I've teamed up with my cousin and we're determined to lose our baby weight by August 11th. That's the day of my brother's wedding which I'm a bridesmaid in. I can't be photographed for the rest of our lives as the fat bridesmaid.

Well, I hate typing these numbers but I'm going to do it because I know those won't be my numbers much longer. When I got pregnant with the twins I weighed 145, not my ideal weight but perfectly acceptable for my 5"6 frame. When I got pregnant with baby #3, I was back down to 160 which was great given I got pregnant two months after giving birth. And today, I weigh 168 two months after the birth of my last baby girl. So the goal is to get back to my prebaby wieght by August so 23lbs in 5 weeks. I know its a lofty goal but I like to aim high.

We're going to do the 30Day Shred and I'm counting my calories on MyFitness Pal. Plus I'm using this blog to hold myself accountable and on track. Afterall, I don't want next friday to come around and have to post that I fell off the wagon.

I have a before picture but that sucker is BAD! I'm talking I couldn't believe it was me bad! My sister said I don't look fat- "I just look pregnant". Her exact words. Not sure there is a difference! But I will be posting that pic at the end of my five weeks my hope is to have a super after picture :)

But here is how I like to remember myself:

That's what my stomach looked like before kids :) (Jan. 2010)

SO What Wednesday!!!

It's Wednesday and I'm linking up with one of my favorite bloggers- Shannon at Life After I Dew.

SO WHAT...

• if I waited over a week to make my second post after returning to blogging. I was in the midst of planning and throwing my girls their first birthday party which was a HUGE success thanks to my mom and brother! (plus, I think I'm finally getting into this blogging thing)
• if I have been following some blogs for forever but only recently started leaving comments. I must say it felt weird to comment at first because I feel a little stalker-ish since it feels like I know all these ladies so well when we're really strangers.
• if my babies first time to the "beach" will be a lake. I'm a Miami girl but I'm raising Georgia peaches.
• if we have almost lived in our home one full year and I have done ZERO decorating- ( I was busy raising twins, being pregnant with #3, and not losing my mind) I'm taking it one room at a time.
• Which explains why baby #3's room is the only room that is finished minus the curtains and every other room lacks major personality
• Sometimes I have to force myself to leave our home-- seriously, going anywhere with three kids babies is major work but I want my girls to have many life experiences hence spending the fourth at the lake :)

Well, this mommy is off to the "beach". Hope everyone has an amazing fourth!!!

Layla and Breanna: 12 months!!

One year ago (from last Monday), my whole life changed forever. I became a mommy, and not just a mommy- a mommy of two. And well, life became more than I could ever imagine. Don't get me wrong it was tough- very tough. And there were are many a day this mommy would love nothing more than to be sitting on the beach solo with a pina colada in my hand, but there are way more days I soak in every minute of being blessed enough to watch these two little miracles grow up. So without further ado let me introduce you all to my ONE year old twins:

It's been so excited to see all the little changes the girls have made and all the things they can do the once couldn't:

• We can climb on the sofa and climb down the safe way.
• We can stand on our own and we take two- three wobbly steps but aren't to intersted in walking just yet. (especially since we only recently mastered crawling with our tummy off the floor- we were pros at the Army crawl)
• We eat just about everything- but our favorite things are mandarin oranges, cheese, green beans and strawberries.
• We are quickly learning all our body parts and can easily identfiy- our hands, teeth, hair, toes, and nose.
• Our favorite activities are climbing on our blocks, sitting in our toy bin and riding in our toy cars.
• We became big sisters two months ago and at first had no interest in the new baby except stealing her blanket- now we are learning to be gentle:





• We don't do alot of talking just yet. Bree has really gotten into "talking with herself" whereas Layla is really into screaming to express ALL emotions.
• We are not the best of friends yet- and become frustrated when sister has something I want.
• We have started biting which makes mommy upset but we are starting to realize this is not a good thing to do.

Well, thats what the girls are up to as they hit the BIG ONE YEAR milestone. Stay tuned for postings on their Minnie Mouse Birthday party and little sister Peyton turning 2 months!

 

I'M BACK!!!!!!

Okay, so I'm making my way back into the blogging world and I brought a new little someone with me. Introducing Baby #3- Peyton Anibelle: (pictures by JessicaV)

That little ball of cuteness completes this not so little family and well she makes life much more interesting- plus adds a few new blog topics I never had to deal with. I started this blog to document my girls growing up and to connect with other moms. And well, my girls are growing up and aside from pictures and their baby books that are sitting in the closet not written in- there isn't a lot of documentation- well unless you count all my facebook status updates screaming " We have teeth" and "Watch out! The girls are crawling!" Anyways- if you're reading this "Welcome! And stay tuned for the twin's one year post, Peyton's official introduction, and well the ups and downs of a now twingle (twins and a single) mommy!