Griswalds in Chicago

This was at the Navy Pier. It was alright, especially after we figured out we could walk inside. Andrew just had to be in this picture.

Here is my Sailor in our room at the Navy Lodge. He is so handsome in his dress blues. He looked so proud and grown up.

Here is all of us kids in the hall at the Navy Lodge. There were lots of pictures taken this weekend. Poor Andrew.

I love this picture and had to wait for two months for this.

This is the graduation ceremony. It was really nice and would have been nicer had my camera taken better pictures. Andrew is in the row with the two flags (below). I wish I had been able to get a decent picture of him up close.

It was very hard to leave Andrew again. Just as hard as meps was. But I got to talk to him twice after I left Chicago so that was very nice. I am hoping that I will be able to hear from him at least a couple of times a week now. I doubt I will but it would be super cool.

The Howell Clan

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family. Gatherings with the Howell's are always so much fun, with never a dull moment. Between Tom and Tim there is no telling what will happen.

The babies love their cobbler.

I love this picture.

Monsters/Angels...it's a fine line.

I absolutely love that Paige can sit up now. It makes things so much easier. I wish that Brother would sit up, but he is a little lazy.

It is so much fun to watch Gaite and Paige interact, when their not scratching each other or pulling hair.

I love this outfit. He is such a P.I.M.P. Oh and by the way Gaite got another tooth; I swear over night. That makes the count 7. Holly Molie.

My Little Monsters!!!

Paige absolutely loves her Uncle Ru! She hasn't told me so, but I think she misses him. Oh and Paige can say Ma ma, I am not lying, I have witnesses.

Two of my favorite dudes!! This is absolutely my favorite picture in the whole world, Gaite looks so comfortable in Uncle Ru's arms.

A picture of the babies in their night gear for Andrew.

Big Pimpin... I love them in hats. You can't tell but Gaite now has three teeth and has three more coming in, Paige has two coming in. They are so big.

My Angels

There Gaite goes again, sucking on Paige's finger.

I absolutely love that they can hold their own bottle, it makes feeding so much easier. Right now their learning not to let it drop on their forehead. It's been touch and go there a few times.

Greatest thing ever made.

Here is a picture of Paige with her favorite toys, her feet. Gaite has also learned where his feet are but he doesn't like to play with them like Paige. Gaite has however gotten two teeth. They are just barely poking through, but they are there. I guess that explains why he has been drooling like crazy and biting my hands, he actually bites very hard.


These seats are one of the greatest things ever made. They are called Bumbo's and they are awesome. It helps Paige sit up which is all she wants to do and it also makes feeding time at the office go way faster.

They are so cute!

Five Months, Can You Believe It?

Here are some pictures of my Angels! They are getting so big. Paige is learning to sit up and Gaite is rolling over like a maniac. I wish I could keep them small forever.

Just for giggles I posted a couple of pictures of me the night I went into labor. Yes, I was as miserable as I look. I am so glad that is over with.

More Pictures.

I don't really have much to say, just that my babies are the cutest babies in the whole world. Here are some of my favorite pictures.

They are so much alike.

I am working on learning how to put my videos on the computer, once I learn I will post some videos of the babies talking and laughing. I promise it will make you smile.

4 Months and Counting

Saturday the babies turned four months. This sounds so cliched but time really does fly when having fun. They are growing so much! It is so exciting when they start doing something new, like talking, laughing and playing with their toys. Everyday we read a couple of books and it is awesome to see them staring so intently at the pictures. They are going to be way smart, I know it.


Gaite is smiling all the time now, all you have to do is look at him and he has a huge grin. He is talking some, but is mainly all smiles. He has discovered that he has built in toys in his hands. He really enjoys trying to put his whole fist in his mouth, as well as his little froggy. We have also discovered that Gaite has a ticklish spot in between his shoulder blades. When you gently run your finger up his back, he grins and throws his little body back. It is so cute.

Paige is like her mother and loves to talk. She will lay in her glider and talk to herself forever. She, I think enjoys reading the most, probably because she is so nosey. It is also impossible to feed her when the television is on, you have to constantly move her head so she can focus on eating rather than what is on the tv. Paige also has a ticklish spot in between her shoulder blades, but she is not near as amused when we tickle her. Imagine that. Paige also has this thing were she is constantly covering her face with her blanket. I am always having to move it because it worries me something being over her face when she is asleep. I will have to catch her on film someday so you can all see how adorable she looks when all you can see is a blanket and the top of her bald head.

For all of their differences, they have several similarities. Two different mornings I woke up and found them in the exact same position. So freaking cute. It is funny to me that they can't even see each other at night, yet they are always laying alike and they seem to be drawn to each other. They are so sweet.

What'll I learn at VBS...

Today was the first day of VBS and I am teaching with Marisa the 2nd and 3rd graders. They are so cute! The theme this year is Fruits of the Spirits and our class are the grapes. I must say that I am a little disappointed though, we hardly sang at all and the puppet show was, well lacking somehow. The kids now also move from class to class, so we actually had 3 different classes, that was interesting. We did get to make a really cute craft though, we made sand art suns. They were super cute and it was neat to see all of the kids being so creative, maybe that is the Activity Director in me though. They do VBS so differently now then when I was a kid but that didn't stop my blast from the past. One of my favorite things about VBS was always the yummy orange punch, I can't believe they still serve it, and of course the cookies are exactly the same. We didn't even get to sing the song "What'll I learn at VBS", we did however sing "I am in the Lord's Army" as well as "Joy, Joy, Joy". Love that song! I actually was just singing that to Gaite the other day.

The babies got to stay in the nursery with Lollie and Andrew, Mom didn't complain but I am sure Paige wore her out. I don't know what that girl's problem is but as soon as we get away from her normal settings, she completely morphs into this screaming and hysterical baby. No one believes me when I tell them that she is the less demanding child. Children, they always make a liar out of you.

Gaite by the way has learned to scream, and I do mean scream. I am soooo thrilled. He will start his screaming and whimpering and as soon as I walk over to him he immediately starts to smile. He plays me like a fiddle, or whatever that saying is. Anyone who says that babies can't manipulate you at the age of 3 months has not met my son. Yet even in the middle of these adorable tantrums, I find myself smiling. It really is funny. Those babies are so freaking cute.

Tummy Time!

Okay, I am feeling slightly guilty. I have not been giving the babies adequate tummy time. I don't really have an excuse, except for the fact that there are two of them and by the end of the day I am tired and not really interested in having them scream their heads off. I know the more time they spend on their bellies the stronger they will become, so I have made a goal to let them spend at least a couple minutes a day on their belly, starting today.

Today was sad but hilarious. They were both screaming harmoniously and not too happy with mommy. Gaite started rocking from side to side and was actually able to turn over. Yea! This is his second time to turn over. After he rolled over the first time I thought to put him back on his tummy and let him try it again. Poor thing, he rocked for a few seconds and then gave up. Once again, sad but very funny. Paige on the other hand usually just roots face first into the blanket and cries. Tonight she turned her head and smiled at Andrew for about half a minute, then went from smiles to seriously ticked in 0.2 seconds. I know Mom feels my pain.

My World

Growing up I never really thought about ever being a mother. I mean, at times I would talk about what what sex I wanted, what they might look like, or even the values I would want to instill into my children, but I never thought I would actually some day be a mother.

Well now that I am one, I can honestly say that it is the greatest feeling in the world. It is amazing how one little grin from your child can turn your tears into a smile. You find yourself gushing about how Gaite tried to hold Paige's hand, or Paige smiled at Gaite today. At times I have to stop and tell myself that just because my world revolves around two tiny souls does not mean that everyone else's does. I am afraid that I am a little obsessive about those two. They are not quite four months and I have over 400 pictures of them. I can't seem to help myself, they are incredibly addictive. But now that you have seen pictures of them you can see why. I realize that I might be a little biased but I have the most beautiful children in the world.

Here Goes...

For as long as I can remember I have looked up to my eldest sister Jennifer. When she told me she had a blog, I thought to myself, if Jennifer is doing it surely I should be as well, right? So here I go. Since I don't really have any friends who blog and Jen will probably be the only person to even read my blogs, I will need you to be sure and leave lots of comments. Okay?