Yesterday Mommy and Daddy took Ben and me to see all of our friends at Dr. Leeper's office to see how much weight I've gained, and to get my shots. It wasn't very much fun, and I let the whole office know how much I didn't like getting three shots. Luckily, Mommy and Daddy and Ben were right there with me to hold me and make me feel better quickly, and after that I was a very big boy and did a really great job. Mommy was so proud of me for gaining so much weight, and now I am 13 lbs and 1.5 ounces. That .5 is a really big deal to me since that's how much bigger I am than my brother!!! I can't believe it!! I finally caught up with him.
I think it must have something to do with the fact that I am getting GREAT at eating my cereal out of a spoon. Dr. Leeper was so impressed with how well we're doing that he said Mommy can start giving us fruits and vegetables. But she'd better be careful because I think it's really funny to say "bbbbbbbbbbbllllttttttt" when she puts something in my mouth. These are some pictures of me doing a great job of sitting up like a big boy.
Don't forget about me, though! I did a great job yesterday too, after I calmed down from getting pricked!! Drew may have caught up with me on the weight, but my Mommy tells me that it's because I'm burning so many calories when I'm trying to crawl. It won't be long now before I can do it, and I get better and better at scooting every day. Daddy says that I have all of the tools I need to be able to do it. I just have to put it all together now. Don't worry, Dad, I'm working on it. And when I get it, you're gonna have your hands full! Drew is helping me learn to sit up better, and I'm helping him learn to push up on his hands. We love rolling around on top of each other, and playing with our toys. As you can see, we're sharing our Mizzou basketball on the floor. And the other picture is from Saturday when Mommy and Daddy took Drew and me to the park by our house. We all had a great time.

And here is one last picture of us playing with one of our favorite girlfriends, Avery. Our mommies like to play together, and we do too. I think she looks like she's enjoying sitting between two very handsome men!

Thanks for checking in with us! We'll tell Mommy to post more pictures later.

Time Flies

6 months ago today we were downtown in Baptist Hospital giving birth to the two biggest blessings Michael and I have ever been given. After a night of absolutely no sleep because we were way too excited, we rolled out of bed at 4:30 a.m. and by 7:18 the doctors placed James Benjamin in my arms. At exactly 7:19 they brought Andrew Emmett to us, and I have never felt emotion like I did as they took this picture. Even as I sit here, type these words, and rememeber that day, I well up with tears. How could Michael and I have known then what we would be in for over the course of the next 6 months? How could we have known as we held our precious little boys that all of the sleepless nights, all of the poopy diapers, all of the spit-upped-on outfits, all of the days without showers would be more than worth it, and that we'd choose to do it all over again just the same? Well, we sure had no idea what we were in for then. But I have to tell you that as I reflect on the last 6 months, I am left without any other response but to praise God our Father for making my life so full of love and joy. I anticipate all of the things to come in the next half of our first year together, and at the same time, I'm a little sad to not have my itty bitty babies anymore.
Today is a special day in our house, and I thank you, blog family, for sharing in this wonderful journey with us. The thought that you take time out of your day to check in on us means so much, and we are so thankful to have you in our lives. May the Lord be praised for the beautiful gifts He's given and the wonderful ways He shows Himself to us.
Happy "half" birthday, Ben and Drew! You have made your mommy and daddy so happy.

Bunnies, Ballgames, and Big Developments

Well, the Easter Bunny came and went this past Sunday, and I don't think that Drew and Ben could have cared less! The only thing they cared about was the new paci that the bunny brought to each of them. Past that, it was really just another Sunday for them. But they both looked VERY handsome in their little outfits, and they were both very good during church. They must have known that if we had had one more Sunday morning service like the previous two, they would be worshipping in the nursery. But they put it off one more week, which is great with me since I like holding them during church.

That next night the twins got to go to their first ever softball game to cheer Daddy on!!! I think it must have done the trick because our team won!!! Good job, babe! This is a picture of him at his second at-bat, where he made it all the way to second base, and batted in a run!!! All these sporty terms, and you might think that I knew something about it all, wouldn't ya?! ;) But the boys and I cheered loudly, and I they had a good time playing with all of the other Daddy's little buddies. Fun times at the ball park.

And our latest news probably isn't a very big deal to most of you. But to a Mommy, this is huge: Ben is mobile...well, almost. That's right, you heard correctly. He can roll with ease from front to back, and back to front. He can roll his way to just about anywhere that he wants to be, even if it does take him 10 minutes to get there. And just to show you how very different my two little boys are, Drew shows no interest in rolling over, but is getting quite good at sitting up by himself. If we position him just right, and cross our fingers, he can sit for a few seconds at a time before falling to his side and laughing. Ben, on the other hand has no desire whatsoever to sit up. He'd rather work on learning how to army-crawl. My days of freedom are numbered.

Enjoy all the pictures of our big boys!!!

This past weekend Drew and Ben were invited to go to their first Easter Egg Hunt. Every year the family that I nannied for through college puts on a big hunt. So, though the tempreture was in the 40's, though we had two hunters who can't even walk (much less even realize that they're supposed to be picking up eggs), and though we were with about 200 other people (most of whom were under the age of 8), we still had a good time. It was amazing: complete with rides for all ages of kids, a ball-pit, a moon walk, and the Easter Bunny himself! Michael even went on the adult hunt (the prizes were awesome!) and was searching for the Golden egg for us. All he got were a bunch of eggs with Tootsie Rolls in them. But we all had a good time! Drew and Ben even won some great prizes. Granted, it'll be a while before they can enjoy their sippy cups, crayons or bubbles, but they won them, nonetheless.






Here are a few pictures of Ben and Drew sharing a swing at the park today. This was their first time to swing like this, and in case you can't tell from Drew's sweet face, they LOVED it. The boys' best buddy, Brax, seemed to have a pretty good time too. I guess the sunshine, the breeze, and all of their little friends together was a good combination for them today.

What We've Been Up To...

Last week the boys and I went to visit all of my girlfriends (and 3 guy-friends) at Dr. Hunter's office to get my teeth cleaned....no cavities, thanks to sweet Carroll!!! We had a great time, and man do I miss seeing them every day. Here are just a few pictures of Ben and Drew with just a few of my favorite friends (the other two-thirds of the staff were working, so they couldn't be in the picture).Ben fell asleep on Beth's shoulder, as you can see....she has that magic touch with just about every baby she holds.And Drew hung out in Moriah's arms just about the whole time. But I told him that she's too old for him just yet, and she's married. Coincidentally, Moriah is who saved the day when I went into pre-term labor, and took my place there at the office. She's such a good addition to such a special group.I miss you girls! Especially Shelley, MerrriAnn, and Trish - my upfront gang. We love yall and we'll try to do better at coming by to see you now that the weather is so pretty.

Our sweet friends Jon and Laura Essner finally welcomed Baby Jay into their lives last Wednesday. He completes the births of all of our friends from life group, and now that all the babies are here, Ben and Drew will have a big group of buddies to play with. Jay was a whopping 8 lbs, 12 oz, though you'd never have known it by looking at Laura...she looked GREAT the whole way through. Congratulations, Essners!!!

Michael's mom and dad came to see us this weekend (we wish you could have come too, Chelle and Dressie!) and we had a great time getting to hang out with them. The boys really enjoyed getting to be with their MawMaw and PawPaw, and we did too. Nice to have extra hands to hold babies. Michael smoked some ribs and we had a great time just enjoying the nice warm weather outside. Unfortunately, Shari left their camera at home, and I did an awful job of remembering to take pictures...I only got a few. Here is one of them.And lastly, this is the fruits of my best efforts to get a picture of Ben's first tooth.Apparently, he's very protective of it, and doesn't think that Mommy needs a picture. It's a little blurry, but see if you can find the tiny little white nub on his lower gum. I know, I know...I'm a mess. Bless his little heart, he's such a good sport. Thanks for checking in with us this week!