16 weeks old..more firsts!

1.  First wedding.

On Saturday we went on another road trip. Back to Iowa again. This trip was to celebrate Ben's cousin, Nathan's wedding in Fort Dodge. The dudes even dressed up in ties and mohawks for the wedding. They did very well at the reception until the dance started and the music was just a little too loud for sleepy babies. After spending an hour or so outside with them I gave up and we took them back to the hotel. Within an half hour they were sleeping like logs. Ben went back to the party and unfortunately (thank goodness) someone had to stay at the hotel with them. I got some seriously fantastic sleep last night. 

Mason 

(Prior/Mason)

2. First hotel stay

The boys slept in a pack-n-play right in between the Mom and Dad beds. Originally I was going to have them sleep in one bed and Ben and I would sleep in the other but with how much they have been 'scooting' around in bed I didn't trust them. But they were so tired I don't think they even moved.

Daddy and Mason getting ready for the wedding.

When in Rome...

(Prior/Mason)

3. First time in the pool 

I wish I had captured this 'first' on video camera - more for the audio effect than the visual. Apparently the water was a little chilly (and it was). The boys SCREAMED and everyone heard them. Everyone. So their first swimming experience lasted less than 3 seconds. We'll have to try it again with warmer water.

Cousin Alli with her floaties and Mason with his little swimmers.

Very angry!

(Prior)

Dad - this water is FREEZING!

(Mason)

Mason in happier times before the arctic plunge.

4. First time meeting the Schultes side of the family.

Prior is MUCH happier all bundled up snuggling with second cousin Kyle.

Long Weekends

Gotta love 'em. I have always looked forward to the weekend but now that the boys are here I look forward to weekends even more. I was really excited for this last Memorial Day weekend. Here is what we were up to...

Daddy made us smile. (Prior)

We got to blow bubbles (Mason)

The drooling/bubble making has really started the last week or so. Does that mean teeth are coming?!!

We got to hang out on the deck (Mason).

These boys have skin like their Dad so we were sure to wait until the deck was shaded until we went outside. There isn't an SPF that could protect that skin! Check out those chubby legs!

We went on long walks in our stroller (Prior/Mason). We even got to walk to the grocery store. It's small grocery store so our double-wide stroller really sticks out. Everyone stopped to check us out. It's funny - people either react one of two ways: 1) wow - amazing...or 2) wow - you have your hands full. When people that react the latter you can tell they are secretly thanking God they do not have twins. I wouldn't trade them for the world!! 

We spent time laughing at each other!! 

I LOVE this picture. The boys are smiling more and more each day - but this is the first official picture of them both smiling at the same time (easier said than done!).

(Mason/Prior)

More time to think...Mason deep in thought.

LOTS of kisses from Mommy. (Prior)

More time to cool off (Prior).

And time for more pictures...Who doesn't love Pooh?! 

(Prior/Mason)

First Date

On Friday night Ben and I went on our first date since the boys were born. (Unless you count dinners together in the hospital while the boys were in the NICU). It was Kristi who insisted. To be honest I wasn't all that excited about it (the thought of sleep and/or time with the boys sounded more appealing). But it was much needed and it was a great idea. After watching the premier of Jon & Kate last night makes me think it was an even better idea...

I was able to leave work a little early and Kristi came over around 5:30. It was a little hard to leave the boys because they were both crying. And I would feel bad leaving them both crying with my worst enemy (it's a tad bit overwhelming!) We first dropped Tanja off at the airport (she went back to Chicago for the weekend). We went to dinner at Tucci Benucch in the MOA and it was delicious. There was even time for a little shopping...

And then there was dessert. Clearly necessary. I only like ice cream from two places in the whole world - the Whippy Dip in Decorah and IKEA. So we wrapped up our romantic evening with two cones from IKEA. Yum!

We got back home around 9:30 and fed the boys and put them to bed. Kristi survived!! They slept from 10:00 until 3:00 am. And then they went right back to bed after they ate until 6:30. After they ate at 6:30 Ben offered me $100 if he could go back to bed. DEAL!

Rolling...

Ben says this doesn't count...

...but Mason rolled over 3 times this afternoon from his tummy to his back! 

Check out the video. (You might want to turn the volume down on your computer - I get a little excited).

Good Morning!

The boys love to give out free smiles - especially in the morning. I think Prior was excited for the long weekend on Friday morning before I left for work. He was very smiley - check out the video clip! The end of the clip is Mason 'talking'.

PS: I have a new toy - a mini video camera. It's called a "Flip" and it's about the size of my small Canon point and shoot camera. It only holds 30 minutes of video but it is perfect for catching quick moments and the video quality is great. It has a built-in USB so you can plug it directly into the computer to download the videos. And then there's the program on the Mac computer that is called "iMovie" where you can edit different video clips and create a movie based on the best parts of the video clips. You know - something to do in my spare time...

Tummy Time x 2

Prior and Mason are both very strong and love to kick their legs. They look very determined in this picture...

I think I'm busy now - what am I going to do when they can crawl and walk!?! Yikes!

Mason/Prior

Mason

Prior

This is the "Hey Mason - I think the coast is clear" look.

(This is Prior - but I thought for SURE this was Mason until I realized they had different colored onesies on).

Book-It

Prior/Mason

On Saturday, Kristi and her sisters threw the boys a book shower. We were going to do the shower in December before the boys were born and then I was put on bed rest. This worked out better anyway because everyone could see the boys! They got a lot of great books - several of which I remembered reading as a kid. One of my favorite childhood past times is reading books before I went to bed each night. I always wanted just ONE more book. I can't wait until the boys enjoy it too...

So I was thinking of a title for this post and "Book-It" came to mind. Remember Book-It? The buttons where you got a sticker for each book you read and after your button was full you got a FREE personal pan pizza at Pizza Hut!?

Shake-n-Bake

Cal & Ricky Bobby

(Mason/Prior)

Mason/Prior

Mason/Prior

Check out the size of Prior's belly...

It seems like the majority of baby boy outfits are puppy themed so these racecar PJ's are pretty darn cool. Grandpa Donny Racecar will be proud!

I think the boys are looking more and more grown up every second. (sigh)

(The post title is a reference to the movie Talledega Nights)

Chillin'

Ben stayed home with the boys today (Tanja wasn't feeling well).

I received this picture text message from Ben while I was at work and it made my day...

Growing Like Weeds

Another special guest post by Ben:

Every time I say or hear someone say "the boys are growing like weeds", I think of my uncle Randy....a.k.a. "Weeds".   Kinda scary.  

If Prior and Mason really do grow up like Weeds, here's what we have to look forward to:

1.  Funny Hats

2.  All-nighters before Hawks games

3.  Crash cots

4.  Plastic suitcases

5.  Barking spiders

6.  Complaining (after the can of beer is gone) that it was only 1/2 full when he started

7.  Going "on tour" of Carroll County

8.  Buffett concerts

God's Country

This weekend the boys went on their very first "trip". We even crossed the state line. Other than being born in Minnesota they are about as Iowan as it gets. We spent the night in Ankeny at Ben's sisters house and went to his cousin Britne's graduation party where the boys got their first exposure to the Rupiper clan. The boys slept very well despite being away from home. They went to bed at 8:00 and even slept until 1:00. It was awesome.

Yes - we only stayed one night.

Isn't this cute!? Prior and his daddy. Angie's house has a sunroom with a lot of natural light - great for picture taking...and naps!

We call this cuddlebugging.

Prior is ready to head home.

Mason is too.

Now I understand...

I have been accumulating this list....a list of things that make a lot more sense to me now that I am a Mommy. I thought today, being Mother's Day, would be a good day to post it. I must say - these two little rugrats are the best gift in the whole wide world. 

Here it goes. Now I understand...

• why people buy mini-vans. I just spent 3 1/2 hours squeezed in between two car seats in the back seat of our SUV. Very tight. Very uncomfortable.
• what stay-at-home moms "do" everyday
• why moms worry so much - to the point where it could be a diagnosable medical condition. I am embarrassed to even say out loud some of the things I have caught myself worrying about.
• why parents don't want to take their kids anywhere. I was so excited for the time when the doctors said we could take the boys out of the house. After experiencing how much work is involved I now understand. 
• why moms stop b-feeding after just a short time. I always thought - it's free, it appears to be easy, and is better for the babies. It is a LOT of work.
• where the saying about crying over spilled milk came from. That stuff is like gold and if even a drop or two spills I cringe.
• why you see 3 year-olds with pacifiers. If they work - you don't care how addicting they are. 
• why people with kids talk about their kids - all the time
• the real definition of "busy"
• why moms return to work
• why moms decide to stay home with their children
• how doing a load of laundry can be as routine as taking a shower
• the true definition of teamwork. I have no idea how single parents do it.
• the true definition of sleep deprivation
• why all parents think THEIR kids are the cutest kids in the whole wide world!!
• why being a mom is special enough to create a whole day dedicated to it. I never fully appreciated my mom until I became one myself.

Tanja surprised me with roses and a balloon! Wasn't that sweet? Ben tried to take partial credit but that didn't work!

MacGruber

The boys continue to sleep very very well. There is still room for improvement when it comes to the duration of the sleep but we'll get there. I am convinced that this success is much more than just luck. It is a direct result of their straight jackets - otherwise known as Halo Sleepsacks. The problem is that they have outgrown them. They're too short and the boys can now "MacGruber" their arms out of them. (For those of you who don't know, MacGruber is a spoof of MacGuyver on SNL.) The second an arm is free it's all over. We have another version on order called "swaddleme" and I hope they work as well. Based on the boys' scooting abilities as evidenced in this picture I think they will be rolling/crawling before I know it.

3-month overall pictures. I love their expressions - don't you wonder what they're thinking?!

(Prior/Mason)

Prior/Mason

Mason/Prior

I have a feeling that with twin boys there will be a lot of "MacGruber-ing" that goes on in this house over the next 18 years. Especially if their uncle Jake has any influence. I'll probably wish they made straight jackets for 4 year-olds...

Time for a new watch

OK - this isn't about the boys but I can't resist. I love watches - always have. Even more than shoes. I think I get this love from my dad who also likes watches and clocks. If you are getting married and want a clock - invite Don. His signature wedding gift is always a clock. 

Anyway...in high school I had a fossil watch like this (except it, like all cool watches at that time, had a leather band). It was my favorite watch of all time. I think my friend Kjersten had one like it as well. I lost mine in a tragic accident. It was sitting on my nightstand and one day I reached to turn off the light and knocked a picture off the wall. The picture came down and the corner of the picture pierced the face of the watch and it was all over. I haven't stopped thinking about this watch. A few years ago I actually searched the fossil website just to see if they still made them and even checked Ebay. No luck. I have actually thought that if I still had that watch I would put a new band on it and still wear it because I loved it so much. 

This morning after the boys had been up to eat, play and were already sleeping again (all by 7:15 am) I was sitting at the table eating my MultiGrain Cheerios (also a favorite these days) and flipping through my Lucky magazine that just arrived. And there it was...

The coolest part is that they have it at Dillards and I have a gift card for Dillards that I thought I'd never use. So the way I look at it - it's free. I can't wait for Ben to wake up - I'm sure he'll be just as excited as I am...

Better go - need to pack for our first trip to IOWA! We're headed to a graduation party in Ankeny. I need to try to pack light or Ben's sister is going to think we're moving in...

3 Months

Today the boys are 3 months old! What a better way to celebrate than with more pictures...

What's cuter than 10 tiny toes? 

20 of them!

Mason is as snug as a bug.

Prior Benjamin busy looking exactly like his Dad.

Do what? We didn't do it.

(Prior/Mason)

Prior showing off his long arms and Mason showing off his smile.

Prior/Mason

I love the wrinkled up foreheads.

Mason/Prior

Check out our double chins.