We're Expanding By Four Feet!

Yep that's exactly right! If you haven't already heard or seen my giant belly that's been next to impossible to hide, our family is going to be growing in the near future! We have incredible amounts of mixed emotions knowing that twins are on their way to our family again. Of course we are very excited and getting pregnant is not an easy thing for me. So the fact that we are even pregnant is a miracle in and of itself. But it's hard to describe in words and I wouldn't expect others to understand the emotions of getting pregnant again...let alone with twins for a second time.

My due date for 40 weeks is Nov 12th, but realistically for twins 36 weeks is full term. We are really hoping these two decide to not follow the footsteps of their brothers and stay put until October.

I am grateful again for the fact that I am not very nauseous. I think it's even better than last time around. I've decided that I have plenty of other issues during my pregnancy, and nausea is just not one of them. I do get an occasional upset stomach every once in a while in the evenings, but that only lasted for about a month or so.

We have been working very closely with doctors since the day we found out we were pregnant. I've had weekly doctors appointments already, starting when I was only 6 weeks along. Each time we've had an ultrasound and so far things look great. Now that I'm 14 weeks and with moving to Atlanta in a 2 weeks, the doctors appt. won't be so intense, until I find out how my new doc wants to handle things. But by the time we are done, these two are going to have LOTS of ultrasound pictures. I have a wonderful doctor here and have already found one in Atlanta that's on top of everything. I will be followed very very closely with multiple doctors because of my high risk history.

We have felt Heavenly Fathers hand in this whole process and have definitely needed and will need that all along the way. Before we started trying, I had a surgery to eliminate one of the risks of premature birth and we have a plan in place to continue to be proactive over the next few months.

We had a crazy start with some reactions to medications and a surgery when I was only 6 weeks along and because of this I have had a pretty pregnant belly for sometime now. Here I am a few weeks ago at 12 weeks. Yep. Already having to wear maternity clothes...

Delivering 14 weeks early and everything we went through with the boys was one of the most traumatic times of my life. I was honestly so scared to get pregnant again. But each time I see these two on the ultrasound kicking and moving my heart skips a beat. 

Preschool

We started the process of Andrew transitioning to Preschool way back in December. Since then I've been trying to wrap my head around the fact that I will be loosing my little guy and sending him off to a big school. It was hard to even fathom. He is my world. Day in and day out.

I couldn't believe how fast the big day came. We'd been talking about school and riding the bus for months. We had been there a few times for evaluations, meetings and meeting his teaching. We drove by it often when we were out doing errands and always pointed it out. Andrew became obsessed with school busses and spots one every time we are in the car. 

The big day finally came. He was super excited to get ready and get out the door. (a little disappointed he couldn't ride the bus for a few days, but as soon as we pulled into the parking lot, he was ecstatic) It was at that same moment when I saw the busses lined up and the huge long line of cars in the carpool lane that I broke down in tears. Realizing that our life now revolves around a school schedule and calendar. That I won't have my little guy by my side all hours of the day. Who knows what kinds of kids would be in his class and would he make friends? What behaviors is he going to learn? All of these and many more thoughts flooded into my mind. But as quickly as they came. I had to dismiss them and wipe away the tears so I could walk him in to find his teacher. 

He was in heaven and loved watching all the other children,  finding his name on his locker, meeting all his teachers and exploring his classroom. Then it came time for mommy to leave and he was pretty distraught. I could hear him crying all the way down the hall as I walked away and again my heart broke. 

It was pretty lonely the first few days he was gone. I really didn't know what to do with myself. I had to keep the tv on in the other room, just so it wouldn't be so quiet. But I'm amazed at how much I'm able to get done in the mornings. I'd forgotten. 

We now are used to the school routine...just in time for summer. Up, ready and out the door by 7:30 and home by 11:30. Having the bus come to our front door is the most incredible service ever! I love it. I also love when I hear it pull up in the afternoon and I run out to greet him. One of my most favorite parts of the day is when he gets off the bus and we come inside for lunch. We sit down next to each other and he tells me all about his adventures at preschool.

Easter Weekend

We had a wonderful Easter this year in the Holden household! It was really fun to teach Andrew a few of the basics of what Easter really means. I'm not sure how much he understood, but we enjoyed talking about it around our house during family nights throughout the month and watching the incredible Easter videos. I love when Easter is a little bit later. I feel like I'm able to get into all the celebrations just a little bit more. 

Here's how we enjoyed the Easter weekend! 

Of course we LOVED getting an Easter package in the mail from Grandma Lyn & Grandpa Jerry. As soon as Andrew saw a few eggs...he cracked them right open to find their "surprise". Each time with an audible gasp and then devoured the candy with in seconds.

We had talked a little bit about the Easter bunny, but one day while at the mall. We walked right by this. I bent over and looked at Andrew and asked him if he knew who it was. Of course he replied the Easter Bunny! There was no wait and so I figured why not.... I went over and he was very excited to go say hello and even sit on his lap. I was kind of surprise considering he did not want anything to do with Santa. So I lifted him up and turned around to snap a picture. Then all of the sudden I heard a high-pitch scream. No cries, no whimpers, no fussing....just screaming at the top of his lungs. So that ended about as fast as it started. Oh well. It was worth a try. This picture is worth a thousand words.

We had the Easter bunny come visit our house and hide eggs on Saturday morning so that we could focus on the true meaning of Easter on Sunday. Andrew knew what to do and LOVED finding where the Easter bunny hid his basket. He loved it and all the fun toys so much, that he was not even interested in hunting for a few eggs.

Later that evening we had a neighbor easter egg  hunt with a few families in our ward. He was really excited to find the eggs, but by the time everyone arrived and the eggs were hid...he was way more interested in just walking around. (This is about how most of the activities seem to go these days. I wasn't surprised at all)

We did end up having him help us find 3 or 4 eggs, but it took a whole bunch of convincing.

Easter Sunday was a nice, quiet and relaxing one, once church was through. We skyped with grandparents, ate a yummy dinner with friends and took a family nap. Couldn't have asked for more.

Here's a few of the family photos all dressed up before church....a true Easter miracle we actually had time to snap a few pictures before we left for 9 am church.

I love this time of year! It truly is one of my favorites. We are so blessed to be able to celebrate and focus our thoughts this time of year on our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Although I won't ever fully understand how, He willingly took upon Himself our sins and sorrows, every sadness, every mistake and every imperfection of every single person. I know that he did. I also know that the tomb in Jerusalem is empty because he lives. It is because of him that I will be able to see my little boy Ethan and loved ones once again.  It is because of him that we can have hope in this life. It is because of Him it's possible that each one of us will be able to live with God again someday. I know that my Redeemer lives!

Bluebonnet Pictures

Before I moved to Texas if you'd have asked me what a bluebonnet was, I probably would have told you it was a hat. But now that I've been here those bluebonnets are some of the most beautiful flowers. Here in Texas they bloom every spring and you can find fields of blue almost everywhere. They only last a few weeks and then they are gone. But while they are around they are simply breathtaking. It has become my most favorite time of the year.

At this time of year you will also find many mothers dressing up their kiddos and tromping around in these beautiful blue flowers posing their kids and snapping pictures with a camera.

Well, with us moving to Georgia in a few weeks, I decided I needed to be "that mom" and get some pictures of Andrew in the bluebonnets. So Stephen was a good sport and helped me one evening. I wish I had a better camera, but I still was able to catch a few good shots of Andrew sitting still and smiling.

Championship Game

March madness is one of the times of year I actually get into following basketball. Don't get me wrong. I do enjoy watching a good game of basketball. But college ball just seems to be more exciting. The athletes have worked so hard to get where they are and some of them have some pretty amazing talent. Anyways, my family gets into March madness quite a bit. We do a family brackett every year and even have a rotating trophy that get passed around from year to year. It's been a few years since that trophy graced our home back in 2010.

This year though was the one year, in I don't know how long, that I didn't do a bracket because of the craziness of life. Stephen and I did watch a few games most of which were awesome upsets. But other than that we didn't really follow the teams. 

Well of course...of all the years not to follow, the NCAA final four tournament was coming to Dallas. It was a huge deal here. They had free concerts every afternoon and evening with all sorts of events and activities going on all around the DFW area.

 {insert a little sidenote}

....so my cousin who has made basketball his life and played 10 years of professional basketball internationally,  just retired and has been an assistant coach at the U of U. He of course was in town the week for the big tournament doing some networking...

The night of the game I get a random text out of the blue from my cousin telling me that he had four free tickets to the final NCAA game that he didn't know what to do with. I seriously couldn't believe it. Stephen was working from home and I ran upstairs to tell him. He was dying and we quickly accepted, found a last minute babysitter and recruited our friends the Bronson's that live down the street from us to go. We hopped into the car and headed over the AT&T stadium in Arlington where the Dallas Cowboy's play.

It was an awesome game! The seats were amazingly close and maybe because it was so last minute that we sat there the whole time in awe and amazement. I kept thinking to myself...."I really can't believe I'm actually here!"  It was fun to see all the famous people they'd flash up on the big jumbo tron who were attending the game. (And I'm not joking when I say "Jumbo" the thing was probably bigger than my own house.)  And only in Texas would you hear the loudest cheers of all when they flashed former President George W. Bush and then almost dead silence when they flipped over and showed former president Bill Clinton. It was pretty hilarious.

We enjoyed a great night of basketball and what a memorable and once-in-a-lifetime spur of the moment date night. Thanks so much Chris!