Flashback Friday: Naps with Tigger
Brina sleeping soundly on her boppy with Tigger!
Today’s Flashback Friday takes us back 10 years ago. The girls were only a couple months old. They were great nappers and would sleep pretty much anywhere (from their cribs, swings, boppies, pack-n-plays, and other random locations). We usually rotated them to different spots to take naps so they got used to sleeping anywhere in the house. At night we would always put them to bed in their cribs, but were more flexible with their napping locations. Looking back on it they were awesome travelers because of this too. They could sleep at anyone’s house or a hotel and it never bothered them the least bit. Probably their favorite place to sleep was their swings, they LOVED their swings!!!
There is something so peaceful about a little one that is sleeping. So thankful for these two little ones. It doesn’t seem like that long ago they were rolling around on the floor, taking naps throughout the day, and playing with the little Tigger toys. The years have went by quickly, but I am grateful for these precious moments.
Karlie on her boppy with Tigger on her tummy and her foot sticking out of her clothes. She had a way of wiggling her toes out of the closed-toed outfits!Flashback Friday: Sweet Girls (13 Months)
Sweet girl!
Today’s Flashback Friday brings us back to 2006 when the girls were just over a year old – 13 months. It was amazing how quickly the first year flew by. It is hard to think that they are now 10 years old!
Having fun!
Karlie trying to eat the “ice cream” (which is actually a bubble container) while Brina checks it out! Curious and exploring new things!
All smiles!
Flashback Friday: Happy 5th Birthday!
Karlie with her Rocket Cake and Brina with her Princess Castle Cake made by Aunt Kristen!
Today we flashback to February 2010 when the girls turned 5 years old! It was a fun birthday party at our house. We did a dual theme for the girls this year which was a lot more work than I initially realized! Karlie was really into space and rockets while Brina was into princesses.
Half of the house and party was about Space and the other half was about Princesses. The nice part about the theme is that it appealed to both the boys and girls who attended the party. We did a castle out of cardboard in Brina’s room and a rocket out of cardboard for Karlie that was put on the front porch.
Somehow we didn’t get a picture of Karlie’s room inside the house where we put black trash bags on all the walls, stuck glow in the dark planets and stars on them, and replaced the lights with black lights. It turned out really well, but it was darker so none of the pictures actually turned out which is a bummer.
Aunt Kristen made the beautiful and delicious cakes for the girls birthday, which they LOVED! The girls had a wonderful time celebrating their birthday and we are thankful for our family and friends who helped with the party and came out to make this day extra special for the girls. Thankful for the blessing of these two girls!
Checking out the cool rocket that Daddy, Grandpa Russell, Uncle Lee, and Uncle Josh stayed up after the kids went to bed to build.
They had no idea that the guys were building a rocket (and castle, see below) for them! As they were eating breakfast the guys rang the doorbell and “delivered” their special party props! They were so excited!
Karlie hugging her rocket (notice she is wearing her favorite rocket pjs)! Too cute! She was thrilled and kept going back outside to play with her rocket!
Had to check everything out!
After a few minutes of coming back into the house the back doorbell rang and the guys delivered the other party prop, a giant cardboard castle! Daddy, Grandpa Russell, Uncle Lee, and Uncle Josh worked on putting this together and painting it after the girls went to bed the night before the party. They were super excited!
The castle was huge! They are standing on chairs in order to peek through it! The castle was a big hit in the princess room!
Dad and Grandpa Russell putting the finishing touches on the castle! It had a tower, door, and even a roman numeral “V” flag on it!
Time for all the princesses and princes to come to the party! The castle was a big hit with all the kids!
Karlie all smiles as she sits by the easel. She loved coming outside to check on her rocket which was next to the easel!
Hanging out in her rocket as people started arriving. Very content to stay right there with her special rocket!
Brina’s princess cake turned out beautifully – thanks Aunt Kristen!
Karlie LOVED her rocket cake! Thank you Aunt Kristen!
Lighting the candles! Kristen put candles at the back of the rocket so it looked like it was taking off – so cool!
Getting something to eat and hanging out with cousins!
Grandma Penny and Brina putting a puzzle together! Super fun!
Flashback Friday: Giggles & Sweet Cheeks
Brina and Karlie all smiles!
Today’s flashback Friday takes us back a few years to 2005 when the girls were only 7 months old. They had the cutest pinchable and kissable cheeks during those early growing years. When they were not exploring, eating, or learning new activities they were giggling.
It was adorable when they would make each other laugh over something silly. After 12 weeks bedrest, a month in NICU, and 5 months on house arrest it was nice to get out and explore with the little ones. Although leaving the house with two infant carriers, diaper bag, purse, stroller, and all other little necessities at that age was quite an adventure in itself.
At that age they didn’t have much hair so we would use washable Elmer’s glue to stick their little bows to their heads, ha. When we gave them a bath it would come right off! It is difficult to believe that these giggling 7 month olds turned double digits last month! Time goes by quickly when your having fun.
Heart Reflections: Raising My Girls
Sweet Brina Bee!
I am so thankful for my girls! They are growing up too quickly. It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago when they were little ones crawling around the house. God chose to bless us with these girls. It has been a fun adventure raising twins! Not everyday has been perfect, but we have so many reasons to be grateful for these two blessings. They have made me grow more as a person. They bring more love and laughter into my life than I ever realized was possible.
My sweet Karlie Kool Kat is always game for a road trip!
Both girls are very different, yet perfect and gifted in their own special ways. I pray that God will give us as parents the wisdom to raise them into amazing young women. I know I will make mistakes as their Mom along the way, but hopefully they will overlook those mistakes and know that I love them despite those not-so-good-moments. It is my prayer that they will seek God’s wisdom and direction in their lives.
I want to go through life focusing more on the good memories and letting go of the little things that get my feathers ruffled. Life is too short to not have fun, smile, and enjoy the blessings God gives us everyday. For those of you who are new to my blog these two girls were the inspiration for my blog, Blessings Multiplied. They continue to amaze me with their creativity, learning, talents, and their love for life! I look forward to many more awesome memories with these two sweet girls and seeing how God uses them to make an impact in the lives around them.
Raising Multiples: Favoritism in Twins (Multiples / Siblings)
Favoritism is a hard topic for any parent to think about not to mention speak about, no matter how many kids you have or their ages. The other day I was talking with a friend when she asked if I ever had to deal with favoritism with the kids and if I had any suggestions on handling that type situation. Not an easy question or answer.
I have debated back and forth whether or not to to post about this topic as it is a tough issue. I could feel this Mom’s pain as as she shared her heart. How do I answer a question like that well and at the same time encourage my friend? There is no simple one-size-fits-all answer.
It is really difficult as a parent to see one child getting extra attention from a grandparent, family member, or friend. If the child is small they may not notice, but as they get older they may pick up on those actions. I completely understand that it is normal for people to be drawn to those with similar personalities or are closer to some. Unfortunately, it can be a little too much and happens more often than we want to admit so we need to be prepared to know how to encourage our children if this does happens.
As parents it is our responsibility to love and protect our children as much as we can, however, it is important to guide them through life knowing that it isn’t always fair. While it can be a valuable lesson, it can also be very upsetting when the child realizes it. We cannot shelter them from everything so if this happens we need to prayerfully consider how to best encourage the child that has been hurt.
Here are a few ways that may help:
- A LOT of prayer.
- If it is a rare situation try to not make a huge deal out of it, but encourage each child and compliment them on their strengths and positive qualities.
- If it happens often, you may need to speak to respectfully to the friend or family member letting them know that it has come to your attention and try to set some type of guidelines (for example – Please do not bring a gift specifically for one child and not the other child. / If you take the one to a special event we request that you find a time to do something special with the other child as well.)
- Take your kids on “Date Nights”, especially when you have twins or triplets that have spent their entire life together. Jake goes with one and I go with the other one and then we switch the next month. This helps each child to have fun, quality time, and your undivided attention for several hours. Just doing this once a month has opened so many doors into our daughters lives and hearts. They will share things with you that you never knew they struggled with as well as cherish the Parent and Daughter memories they have made with you.
- Have a heart to heart talk with them were you truly listen without judging or trying to fix the problem(s). You cannot force people to change, but when they know they can share anything with you and you will love them unconditionally the sting of the favoritism or other hurt (whether real or perceived) is minimized.
- Look up verses and encouraging quotes to memorize together. The heart of a child is tender and we want to guide them to truth, love, and forgiveness even when they are hurt. You do not want that child to hold a grudge, get bitter, or act disrespectful towards a person because that can have a long term ripple effect in so many other areas of their lives.
- A few extra hugs, a shared joke, or hearty laughter can go a long way to lift the spirits of a child who feels hurt.
I hope and pray that you never have to see your child get hurt, however, we live in the broken and sinful world. Sometimes people (yes, even family members and friends – although usually unintentionally are mean). Feelings will get hurt. Words are said at times that cannot be taken back.
If you are facing this situation in your family my heart and prayers go out to you. Hang in there! Remember to cherish those you love. Let’s all guard our tongues and actions so we do not hurt those around us.
Raising Twins: Multiples Party at Shipwreck Cove
As I was going back through some of the pictures the last several months I realized I never posted anything about this great event (better late than never right!?). I have the privilege of being a part of the Upstate Mother’s of Multiples Club. It is a great group of Moms and families that have been supportive from the days when I was on bedrest and beyond. Once a season we get together with the families (Moms, Dads, and all the kids) and enjoy some fun activities. Here is a little taste of our adventure at Shipwreck Cove in Duncan, South Carolina:
Karlie ready to go down the slide. The girls love pools, water parks, and the beach (really anything with water, including splashing around in the tub). They had a blast swimming, sliding and tubing at Shipwreck Cove.
Mommy had a blast too! Honestly I am not sure had more fun….the little kids or the big kids! I enjoyed the many trips down the big slides, catching up with friends, floating along on the lazy river and swimming just as much as the girls did.
View from the top of the big slides (part of Shipwreck Cove Waterpark). When we first arrived at the water park it was pretty quiet other than our groups munchkins running and swimming around. As the day got later more people arrived, but we still had a blast.
Karlie going down the big slide all by herself. So proud of the girls for going down the big kid slides. I had a mixture of excitement and sadness to see how much they had grown up over the last few years. It was a wonderful day of memories for the whole family.
Brina going down the red slide again. Glad to see them having a blast at the water park! Brina’s favorite slide was the big red one that was open at the top, but she did try both slides.
Karlie getting sprayed by a water canon while floating on the lazy river. Karlie thought it was hilarious when she got sprayed by the canons as she was floating by. We went around the lazy river several times that day.
Brina waiting to go down the slide. This slide was on the “palm tree island” and a favorite to play on in between going down the big slides and floating along on the lazy river.
Karlie waiting for another turn on the big slides. The slides were a HUGE hit with Karlie girl! She didn’t mind standing in line to go down the slides again and again and again and again.
Brina enjoying the water jets. The water park was really nice. It did surprise us to find out the that water was “salt” water not fresh water.
Having fun in the water. Brina enjoying her time at the water park.
Pausing for a moment to let me take a picture. Glad for those quick pauses to take pictures.
Thankful for a great time playing with my family!
Raising Multiples: First School Day of First Grade!
The girls recently started school, their first day of first grade went really well. After a wonderful summer together of traveling and memories we were getting them ready for school They were excited to go to school to learn and see their friends but also told me that they would miss their time at home, (aw….such sweethearts)! Here’s a few snapshots from their first day of school.
First day of School lunches are packed and ready to go! This year we are packing lunches every day except Fridays, which is pizza or special lunch day. They were very excited about picking out and making food to pack in their lunches. I was impressed at how well they adjusted and how much initiative they took cleaning out their bags every day. The girls received their lunch bags from some great friends, they came in handy last year and again this year.
Brina's lunch Brina is our loves flowers, pink, orange, and anything girly so this is perfect for her. One of the concerns Moms with Twins, Triplets or higher multiples is making sure to develop their individuality. The girls were THRILLED to have different lunch boxes with their names on it.
Karlie's lunch One of Karlie’s favorite colors is black (she has loved space and planets for years)! These thoughtful gifts came from a good friend with triplets who has been a huge encouragement to me since she found out I was pregnant with the girls.
Notes we put into their school lunch on the first day of first grade! The girls see some of the “notes” that I send in Daddy’s lunch and always enjoy it when they get one as well. As a special surprise occasionally I will stick in a note to them. They both thanked us for their first lunch box “love note” of the school year!
Brina and Karlie ready for their first day of 1st grade! You would think that at this age it would be easy to get two kids to smile at the camera, ha! They were so worried that my taking pictures would make them late the first day of school. Don’t worry we made it with plenty of time to spare!
Brina's ready! Brina’s comment on the way to school this year was “”We will make some good friends today and have fun talking to our friends from last year!” Glad she is excited about seeing friends and making new ones.
Karlie's super excited to go to first grade! Karlie’s comment on the way to school this year was “So how many days until Summer break”! We had been counting down until the first day of school. She had such a fun summer together I think she was ready to start counting down until next summer.
Our notes to our sweet girls at breakfast! On their breakfast plates we wrote each of them a note to read while we were cooking breakfast.
Notes to our girls on the first day of school! They love getting notes and special days should be celebrated!
Hello cutie pies, your note from Mom and Dad on your first day of First Grade! Our first day of school note was M&M’s. The comment I got from them was “Silly Mommy” but they smiled reading the letter we wrote to them.
Love making our girls smile. The first day of first grade is a great day to celebrate! Life is short and my babies are growing up quickly. I want our girls to know how much we love them. These notes only take a few moments to write but can be a tremendous encouragement to them especially as they walk into a new classroom on the first day of school.
On the way to school! All buckled in and ready for school. Yes, I took the picture at a stoplight not while driving.
Beautiful first day of first grade for the girls! I was thankful to see the sun shining, a gorgeous blue sky, white puffy clouds and beautiful leafy trees on the way to school. We truly have much to appreciate in life.
Walking behind their teacher on their way to first grade, my babies are growing up! My big girls walking to their class by themselves, no assistance necessary from their Mommy.
School day is done, they love riding home on the bus. Thankful for their time to learn. Praying that their first grade year is a positive experience packed full of great educational fun.
