Pulling up!!

Although this milestone happened weeks ago, I thought I would devote an entry to it anyway. Here's the scene: Matt and I are sitting on the couch watching Bradley try to play with the toys on his walker (keep in mind he wasn't in the walker, but on the floor next to it). He was sitting on the floor and all of a sudden grabbed the tray and up he went. Matt and I were so excited, but didn't want to scare or distract him with screaming, instead we were flailing our arms around (mostly me, I was trying to motion for him to get me the camera). I was able to get a couple good shots and we are so proud our little man!

Ella was sleeping during Bradley's triumph, but we think he must have used his twin telepathy to let her know he was one step ahead. The next morning (when Bradley was napping) I had just finished folding laundry, I looked over and Ella was standing!! I couldn't believe it! I grabbed the camera and took pictures for about 10 minutes, just enough time for her to unfold all the laundry. We are so proud of our baby girl!

Do lions eat giraffes??

This Halloween the most asked question in our family was "Don't lions eat giraffes?". Luckily for us our lion didn't eat our giraffe.

Twins

Having twins has been an amazing experience! Before they were born people really scared us with all the horror stories...basically letting us know we would be exhausted beyond belief. Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad. The most tired and cranky I felt was before Ella came home and it was just Bradley and me. It was such a relief to have them both home and I was adamant about keeping them on a schedule. So, if one baby said they were hungry...they both ate! I'm almost thankful people made it seem like it would be worse than it actually was.
Ella and Bradley are so lucky to have each other! When they were newborns, they loved to cuddle and now that they are getting older they love to laugh together. It's true that they have some sort of twin telepathy. I wish I were a twin!

1 week

First day home together

7 weeks

5 1/2 months

8 months

8 months

Great Grandparents

Our children are so lucky to have 4 great grandparents, including one complete set! Most of our family lives here in Colorado, but Matt's Grammy and Grampy reside in Georgia. Normally we visit every year in April, but this year we had 2 month old babies and weren't ready for such an adventure. Instead we planned our trip in October (which might become the new tradition because Georgia is beautiful this time of year).
A couple of days before the trip Bradley finally rolled from his back to his stomach and while we were visiting Grammy and Grampy he started doing the "log roll". I was so happy he waited, so they could see him hit this milestone!

Bradley was rolling all over the place!

Grammy and Bradley

 

4 generations

Great Grandparents!

Ella and Grandpa

Where were you........

There are only a few moments in my life that I can really remember, I can remember what the air smelled like, what I was wearing and exactly how I felt. The day I was married and my children's birth, of course. I remember when I found out about the Columbine shootings and the death of Princess Diana.....and how could anyone forget September 11, 2001.
I was a senior in high school and didn't have class that day until 11am, but there was a senior assembly, so I had to go in early. My dad woke me up a little after 7am and told me a plane flew into one of the twin towers (my sister lived in New York City at the time and I had actually been to the towers a couple months earlier). It was kinda like, "What a horrible thing that's happened, how did that pilot get so off course". The thought that a terrorist was involved never even entered my mind. My dad and I watched the footage on the news and then I went about getting ready for school.
I was curling my hair and watching TV at the same time. They kept showing the footage of the first plane hitting the tower over and over again. Then the unthinkable happened, another plane hit the second tower. At first I was confused because I thought they were just showing the first plane again, but the reporters voices were absolutely terrified. My dad and I just looked at eachother and I asked "What's happening?".
I was pretty naive and still didn't catch on that this was a terrorist attack, I know my dad knew it was, but didn't know how to tell me.
We both sat on the couch and just watched. We watched both towers fall and I remember feeling horrified and crying. How could this be happening??  I literally watched people die that day, I still get emotional if I think about it. Today is a day to remember all the people who lost their lives that day. They will forever be remembered.

The Brellas are Baptized!!

This past weekend our sweet angels, Bradley and Ella were baptized in our home church. It was truly a blessed event.

Ella Elizabeth Eckert was sponsored by her Aunt Beth (who she is also named after) and Uncle Casey. Beth was able to come out from San Jose, CA to be here for this special occasion. We feel so blessed that she cares for our little girl as much as we do! Casey is back in Japan, but he was definitely with us in spirit.

Bradley David Eckert was sponsored by his Aunt Julie and Uncle John. They made the trip from Maryland and we really enjoyed their visit.

To make the day even more special, my best friend, Christina made a surprise trip to Colorado!! It is a true friend that will drive 10 hours (each way) to be here for one day. She brought her friends Jessi and Sarah for the ride. I feel great knowing she has such great girls looking out for her in Oklahoma since I can't be there. Hopefully we'll be able to make a trip out there soon!!! I love my Christina-bear

The Zittrauers

My sister, Julie and her husband John came to visit last week. They were the best helpers ever, John actually wanted to change dirty diapers! Naturally I let him.
They were here for 5 days and I spent the entire time trying to convince John that moving to Colorado after he graduates would be the best move for them. I was like a used car sales man, constantly trying to "sell" him on the idea of moving here. "Humidity isn't really an issue here", "You would have free daycare when you have kids if you move here", "Let's go look at some model homes so you can see how much house you can get for your money out here". I had no shame. In the end he said he would "Consider moving to Colorado". Definitely a victory!

John had never been on a horse before, so this was a wonderful opportunity to show (yet again) all that Colorado has to offer. I have to say watching John attempt to ride a horse might be the funniest thing I've seen. The look on his face was priceless, a huge smile in anticipation of his first steps. He squeezed and kicked, and nothing- she (Sherhera) wasn't moving.After a couple minutes of this, my Aunt stood on the other end of the arena and said "I'm on fire, you have 30 seconds to get over here and save me".  He squeezed and kicked some more, finally SUCCESS! We all really enjoyed the day and needless to say were sore for a couple days!

Top ten reasons my new little family makes me smile!

10. Matt is very supportive of me staying home and raising our children. I've heard men say they want their wives to work, so I know I'm super lucky to have married the man I did!

9. Our well behaved animals, minus the cat. Other than Saylor loving dirty diapers (now affectionately called Saylor-snacks) and Cole marking the swing in the kitchen (we haven't yet figured out if he's mad that we take the babies out, or that we brought them home....hmm). They are great with the babies and with me since they still don't get all the attention they deserve.

8. We are close with our extended family on both sides. One of the bonuses of having lots of family in the same town.....free babysitting!!

7. Our house is full of baby crap, to include: 3 swings, 2 bouncers, 2 bumbo chairs, 2 pack n' plays, diapers galore and a gazillion little toys. Even though our house is permanently cluttered, I wouldn't have it any other way.

6. Poop!! I never really understood Matt's infatuation with poop before, but it's now one of the highlights of my day. You know, who pooped, when and how much!

5. Bradley's smile and Ella's eyes.

4. When the babies see me their little faces light up! They really like me!

3. The babies are starting to smile and coo at each other, which they never really did before.

2. Ella licks the bath water like she's a dog.

And the number one reason:  Matt and I can't stop telling each other how happy we are! Babies are awesome!!!!!!

Uncle Casey was home!!!

Matt's brother, Casey joined the Navy a little over two years ago and it's been almost that long since we had seen him. He's been stationed in Japan for 23 months and a visit home was in order!! We packed up the babies and joined his parents on the trip to pick him up front the airport. He looked great, almost unrecognizable!
Since the babies arrival I have noticed there are two kinds of men: the ones who are afraid of babies (you know, they get a terrified look on their face when anyone suggests they hold the baby and then when they do it makes everyone uncomfortable) and the ones who love them (and when they puke all over the place don't freak out). Luckily for Bradley and Ella, Casey is the latter!! He was awesome, they cried and he just cuddled with them. He'll make an awesome dad someday.

Since Casey wasn't here for the pregnancy or birth (because he was under way he found out via Facebook, oops. Lesson: always check you email first!) We decided to start them on solids while he was here, which was hard for the nutritionist in me (you should really wait until 6 months, they were about 5 1/2). So cute, rice cereal everywhere. As expected Bradley LOVED it, that boy likes to eat. Ella was more reserved, but is getting more into it with every passing day. Now, they are working their way through the veggies. This is such an exciting time!!

Pony Rides!

We had such a busy and crazy weekend! My Aunt and Uncle live on a ranch in Elbert, CO. 60 acres of beautiful!! I was especially looking forward to going horseback riding, it's been almost 4 years (since I worked at Camp Bloomfield).
My Aunt breeds miniature horses, so the babies were able to have their first pony ride! In reality, they sat on the pony and we took pictures, but we'll tell them they rode ;). Ella was not a happy camper, she didn't like all the dust and the fact we were making her sit still. In the end she was a trooper and gave us a couple great pictures. Bradley was fine, until he realized he was hungry and lost all his composure about 2 minutes into the photo shoot. That's my boy!
Finally it was my turn and I loved it. I forgot how much I enjoyed riding. The only downside is that I'm short, so most stirrups don't shorten enough to be of any use. That means I have to hold on extra tight with my inner thighs if I don't want to fall off. Translation: I've been sore for days!!!! It was totally worth it.

Daddy and daughter

Future Girl of the West!

"What's going on over there?"

Paparazzi shots

I try not to use the flash on my camera because I don't get a natural picture. I get a paparazzi shot. The look on their faces is priceless, they're shocked I'm taking a picture of them!

My Pet Peeves

In general I would like to think I'm a calm relaxed person. The kind of person that's not bothered by many things. In reality A LOT of things bother me. I tend to go on rants about different subjects because I think they are just ridiculous. My mother and husband say they love this side of me- mostly because I look like a fool, ranting a raving (in private of course) about things I can't do anything about. Here are a few of my pet peeves:

-People who go out into public without looking in a mirror before they leave the house. I'm not saying you have to be camera ready at every moment, just run a brush through your hair a couple times, that's all I'm asking.

-Parents that are afraid to tell their children "no". It would be great if we lived in a world where we always get what we want, but we don't, so do us all a favor and teach your children that lesson.

-Turning into the wrong lane. It's not that difficult, turn into the closest lane.

-Laundry- I just hate it.

-People who enjoy running. I don't really have any beef with the people, I just HATE to run (I would seriously rather poke my eye out), so it irritates me that there are people in the world that enjoy it. The real problem is that I'm jealous I don't enjoy it!

-Animals getting in my way. I spend countless hours every week asking the dogs to move. You would think that they would learn to get out of the way when they see me coming, but no, even if I run into them they don't move. I literally have to push them out of the way.

-The commercials that make the credit card companies look evil. "Are they harassing you by calling multiple times a day?". Here's an idea: If you can't afford it, don't buy it.

-People are afraid to eat normally around me, I think they think I'm going to judge them (my degree is in nutrition). I'll set the record straight....I don't really care.

-The statement, "Carbs are bad". Carbs are not bad, they are totally necessary for overall health. Protein has the same amount of calories per gram. The statement should be, "Carbs taste better, therefore I overeat and gain weight". And that's not even a true statement, but you get the point, calories in/calories out.

-People judging what I eat. A guy yelled at me once at a BBQ because I was eating a hamburger, "How can you call yourself a nutritionist, look at what you're eating". Anything in moderation people, geez.

-The entitlement complex. While working in government assistance I learned that people really think they are entitled to help from the government, or more accurately from other tax paying citizens (but most of them don't actually understand that concept, they just think the government has an endless supply of money).

-Coming to pick up WIC checks carrying a Coach bag. Let me get this straight, you can't afford food for your kid, but you can spend $150 on a purse?

-Movies where one person is portrayed as horrible, so when their spouse cheats on them, it' s somehow okay. Just to be clear: It is NEVER okay to cheat on your spouse. What message is this sending?

I feel better :)

Our trip to California

Holy cow!! Why didn't anyone tell me traveling with infants was so much work? Last weekend I took the kiddos to California for a wedding. I met the bride, Kari in 2006 when we worked at a summer camp for blind children. We immediately clicked and became great friends. A year later she was a bridesmaid in my wedding and I was honored to return the favor.
Matt wasn't able to go since he'll be starting a new job soon and needed to tie up loose ends at his old one. So, I convinced my mom to go with me. Luckily she knew it would be a great opportunity to spend quality time with her grandchildren and said "yes!".
I'm not a good traveler, I generally hate to be away from home. Stress tends to get the best of me and I know I can't be the greatest traveling companion. It all started pretty well, we left the house at a reasonable time, but somehow still managed to be late (according to my standards, I like to be ridiculously early, just in case). We finally made it to security and the fun really started. All of our stuff had to go through the x-ray machiene- and let me assure you, it was a lot of stuff. Then they had to test my milk. I can only imagine how crazy women get about this because the security officer kept telling me that he wouldn't dump any of it, or taste it (although he did let all the bottles topple over multiple times and told me it was "okay" when I asked him to be careful- I kindly let him know I worked really hard for that milk and it was "not okay" for him to let them leak everywhere). I have to give security credit, they were smart enough to close the line behind us knowing it would take a really long time.
When we got to the gate my mom noticed we weren't sitting next to each other. It turns out that you can't have two lap children in the same row because only 4 oxygen masks drop in each row, so there wouldn't be enough. I just wish I had known sooner- then we would have requested to sit across the aisle from each other. Instead I was sitting between two middle-aged men. I know they had to have been disappointed to see me coming, no one wants to sit next to the screaming baby. Luckily, my baby was pretty well behaved and smiled at them like crazy.
The one thing I learned about taking babies to social events is that people take your happy baby and bring back a crying one- usually when you are about to enjoy your meal. Ella did make a friend in one of the other bridesmaids, two nights in a row she slept in her arms for hours at a time.
The wedding ceremony was absolutely beautiful, it was outside in front of a pond on a golf course. Best part was they said their vows in English and in French. The groom is from France and Kari has been doing her best to learn so she can communicate with his family since they speak very little English. It's every girls dream to meet a foreigner and have him profess his love in one of the most beautiful languages ever...ahhh.
The flight home was better than the flight out, Ella and Bradley slept like angels. It was father's day, so we were very excited to get home to see daddy. While we were gone we left a gift for every day, so that Matt knew he was a great dad and we couldn't wait to celebrate his first father's day.

Charlie Brown

I have this theory that Bradley looks like Charlie Brown. It's mostly the shape of his head, it's just so perfectly round. My husband thinks I'm crazy, but I'll let you be the judge.

Graduations Galore!

This was the weekend for graduations. First, my friend Amanda received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy, she's now officially Dr. Hamilton. My mom went with me, so I didn't have to take the babies alone and boy I'm glad she came!! The ceremony was outside and it was soooo hot. I thought Bradley and Ella might melt, fortunately they made it through in tact.
The next day we headed up to Steamboat Springs to watch my cousin Jesse's high school graduation. I was so proud, I started crying when he walked in (I'm sure it was half happiness and half postpartum hormones).
Our family is really into playing Catch Phrase (a hot potato guessing game), but since my aunt and uncle moved from the Springs we haven't been able to play as often as we'd like. It was just like old times, with the yelling and laughing hysterically. Were very happy they are planning to move back home this summer!
This was also the first time some of my cousins met the babies and the first time my aunt and uncle were able to hold Ella since she was still in the NICU when they came to visit Bradley. It was a great weekend and we are so proud of our graduate!

3 months old

My sweet little angels turned 3 months old yesterday. Where does the time go? So much has changed in such a short time, but it feels like they've always been here.I spent most of the day trying to get a few good pictures out of them. Mission not accomplished. Bradley was so interested in chewing on his arm that I mostly got pictures of the top of his head. Ella was yawning and sneezing all over the place. Trying to get a shot of the two together is next to impossible, one of them looks great and the other not so much. Here are some of my favorites:

Weight at birth: 4 lbs
Weight at 3 mo: 10 lbs 7ozWeight at birth: 3 lbs 13oz
Weight at 3 mo: 9 lbs