Jan 21
Everyone,
At least not for you guys to enjoy! Sorry.
We, as a family, enjoyed a movie tonight before/after dinner. We started “Despicable Me” before dinner while it was cooking, paused it about half way through to eat said dinner (and deal with Professor and his tantrums which he throws every single dinner time), and then finished it up with some popcorn in the living room.
We ended with a huge group hug and a screaming race through the house. One of the best nights we’ve had as a family in a long while. Something that I needed. Something that we all needed I think.
Safire
Safirefamily family
Sep 09
Everyone,
“We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.”
“Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3).”
“The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force.”
“Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.”
“The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.”
“We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.”
Safire
PS- Written as part of Chocolate on my Cranium‘s Photo Essay Blog Hop. Quotes taken from The Family: A Proclamation to the World
Safirefamily, family pictures, Uncategorized family
Jun 16
Everyone,
It’s sad. I was trying to write every single day for a year but it just didn’t happen. Oh well…here is a catch up post.
Friday we spent the day with my grandparents and enjoyed their company and their lunch! Thanks Nana and Grandpa!
Saturday we went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house with my grandparents and my bro and sil and Cappy. Fun but cold outside! We also took all the kids to get their hair cut. The first cut for the boys! Professor screamed through the whole thing (while dripping saliva from his sucker all over the drape and getting hair plastered to his face because of it). Professor had a bell he was focused on (the place had little cars for them to sit in) and he stood stock still. Ah, life with twins. Butterfly also got a trim and a princess hairdo. They had a slide in the hair cutting place and Professor loved it so much. He got so excited at the top bouncing on his knees. He then pitched forward to get on his hands to go down the slide but didn’t realize the edge of the slide was right there. He bashed his head pretty good and had a huge goose egg. I think he cried more that we were leaving the slide than the goose egg.
Sunday we spent at Juice’s parents house, going to church with them and eating a ton of fruit. I fell asleep in the mother’s lounge with one of the boys. I think I might be tired. We also raced downtown to see my brother sing in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir that morning. I love to see him up there doing what he loves to do! We also saw a good friend’s drawings and were able to see our Prophet.
Monday we went hiking wth BFF Mink and her girls. We had a great time until we had to run home so we wouldn’t be caught in the thunderstorms that are happening every evening. It has rained every day since we’ve been here. Juice’s BFF J came over that evening and we went for yet another hike (this time without the kids). We also went geocaching which I always find fun. We found one we had been looking for for over a week so I was excited. Juice and J stayed up until 1am talking and playing Rock Band.
Today was another day spent at my grandparents’ house for me and a day spent with Juice’s family for Juice. Juice had a great time with his nephews who are visiting from Idaho…mostly because we are here and they have never met our kids. Their youngest was a baby when we moved to Maryland so it’s fun to see how grown up they all seem.
My kids decided to knock over a fake tree of my Nana’s and break some glass orniments she had hanging on it for decoration. They also decided that the orniments should be eaten!! Ack! I have no idea if they swallowed anything (probably) and we left soon after that. I also got a flat in BOB’s wheels from a thorn I probably picked up while hiking yesterday. My awesome cousin S (who is 14?) fixed it for me. I kind of miss being around my family.
I also got my hair cut today. Yes, cut means really different. I have bangs. It’s short. It’s seriously different. Pictures later since I haven’t taken them yet.
Cappy is spending part of the night with us and it’s been fun to have all of the cousins together. They are actually all sleeping (yes, they are asleep) in the same room. We took some pictures of all the boys in their pjs together and it’s so cute! It has also reinforced that I’d really rather not have triplets. My boys are running me pretty ragged these days and adding another one to the mix changings the whole dinamic. Triplet moms are amazing.
We’re off to the zoo tomorrow so I’m off to bed!
Safire
SafireBoys hair cuts, family, Great Grands, Juice's family, life with twins, MusicMan, my hair, temple
Jan 15
Everyone,
We all have our set of nicknames at this house. We never call each other by their Internet names (except for Juice, that was a nickname of mine for him in college). But we do have a long list of other things people go by here.
Such as: Juice, Daddy, and Darling.
Butterfly’s nicknames are:
Honey
Sweetie Pie
Sister
Big Sister
Baby Girl
Baby Princess Monkey Dog (that was hers today, she wanted to be a baby, a princess, a monkey, and a dog. Okay then.)
Pirate’s nicknames are:
Mr. Grabby
Pirate-Boy (except insert real name)
Happy Boy
Smiley
Professor’s nicknames are:
Mr. Independence
Mr. Explorer
Columbus
Sweet Boy
Mischief Maker
Want to know my nicknames?
Darling
Mommy
Mama
and my newest one that I’m really not liking?
Mudder
She tries to say mother but it just doesn’t come out right. I have no idea why I don’t like it. I just don’t. And she calls me it all the time. What happened to Mommy or Mama? I have no idea where she got this from and why she INSISTS on calling me that. I’ve even asked her not to call me that and she still does.
I’m hoping it’s a phase.
Safire
Safirefamily, life
Dec 25
Everyone,
For Butterfly that is. Tell me how great this is: getting all your own presents. Having two baby brothers who are old enough to get toys and young enough not to care if you play with them. Guess what that equals out to be?! Three times the toys for one three year old girl! She had the greatest time.
This morning she got up early to go to the bathroom and staggered back to bed, missing the stockings I had put in the hall. We were up with the boys (rough night for me) anyway so I walked into her room. I said, “Merry Christmas, come see what Santa left you.” Her covers went flying and she was running before she hit the ground. She spent the next 45 minutes playing with the boys duplo blocks they got in their stockings. She got some tracing books and pencils and probably would have been more interested in them if I had actually sharpened some of the pencils. She also got breakfast in her stocking which is an idea I read off of another blog. So she got a granola bar, juice box and an orange. Much healthier than all the candy. She loved it! The boys were more interested in eating the blocks than anything else.
I came down to set up the camera. When she came down, she went right for more blocks that I couldn’t fit into the stockings. Then she went to the boys dinosaur (which she got for her first Christmas too!). And finally, she noticed her new kitchen and all of the food that goes along with it. We played with that for a good hour and a half. Not opening any presents. Just enjoying each others company and taking things easy. The boys went down for their first nap and we had breakfast.
We opened a few gifts. Juice got a machete from Costa Rica. Thanks Bro! He wore it all day long. I got a bunch of scrap booking stuff from my mom so now all I have to do is actually print out pictures.
The boys napped horribly. Professor kept crawling on Pirate and then Pirate would scream. When I finally went up there to separate them, Professor had spit up all over Pirate and Pirate was mad. I got them cleaned up and put them in different cribs but they were so unhappy I ended up bringing them downstairs early.
I called my parents and we were able to chat with them. Butterfly got a little camera from them and took a few of these choice pictures today.
After lunch (and another failed attempt to put the boys down) Butterfly had a nap (which she did not sleep in) and Juice and I did some clean up. We currently can not get out of our house with all the boxes stacked in front of our door. Eventually Professor slept but Pirate still did not. I think he’s getting sick because he just wanted to eat or be held all day long. We were able to talk to Juice’s family and get our dinner in the oven.
Our talk with Juice’s family ended in our annual frustration of web cams. But it was fun to see everyone we could. Finally at 5:30pm we did a last present sweep and opened about 10 presents for the boys. Cute things! A new coat, a few balls, and some picture books for them/me. They were only too ready to go to bed and have actually stayed asleep despite our pounding and laughing downstairs.
The big present of the day was our Wii. More importantly: Rock Band. I love this game. I don’t know why it speaks to me but it does. We had to have dinner before we could play (boo). I spent the time making the dinner while Juice and Butterfly played. (Double boo.) Dinner was excellent though and Butterfly went right down (while Juice played again…triple boo.) Finally I was able to play some. I failed the tutorials about 10 times. I am having fun though.
I think the thing that I liked most about this Christmas was the ability to talk to our family. We talk to them every year at this time. I don’t know what’s different this year but I ache to be home with them. My Nana sent me a sweet email last night that I got this morning when I was feeling the absence of my family the most. I never grew up with family at Christmas time. I thought I’d be used to it out here by ourselves. And every year I have but this one. This time. It’s rough.
So all of you who have family close, treasure this time with them. It is the greatest gift at Christmas.
Safire
PS- I just watched Juice get a 310 note streak on the drums! Man he’s good!
SafireChristmas 2008, family
Sep 07
Everyone,
Wow it’s been one busy Sunday. We got up early early (6am I started feeding babies!) and were able to make it on time to 9am church several miles away. My cousin was blessing his new baby boy and we were able to be there. My grandpa mentioned that we took up 4 big pews with our family alone. It’s great! (I think me and my kids and my stuff took up about 3/4th of a pew ourselves. Who knew how much stuff twins generated!)
After, we were able to go to a brunch at my cousin’s house. Butterfly had a great time running around with Bee and Brother Bee and I spent probably an hour locked in the back room nursing babies. I was a little sad I couldn’t be out chatting with the rest of the family, but I was happy my cousin’s wife had a really great book on her bedside table. Has anyone read Emma by Anita Stanfield? I’m interested in finishing it. It’s also reinforced the fact that I really should just carry books around with me and read whenever I am nursing. That way I don’t end up staring at the walls.
From my cousin’s house, we drove over to my SIL’s house and surprised them. (She forgot we were coming.) It was really cute because Butterfly knocked on their door and my bil opened it. She just walked in and he stood there a little stunned and said, “Okay.” We then showed up at the door and he was all smiles and instantly knew who Butterfly was. I thought it was pretty funny that he just let her in.
We had a great time playing with cousins and more twins for the afternoon. Juice played a computer game the whole time (mostly) with Beautiful Rabbit who is 8, and Splats (my sil) and I wrangled the rest of the kids. Good times! We also went to the park and had about half an hour of play before we had to head on off to our next stop.
Yes, we had one more place to go. We went over to my brother’s house for dinner. He had some yummy chicken and soup and asparagus for us. Tasty! We figured out a way to get Butterfly to eat asparagus (dip it in butter, her favorite thing right now) and our little boys played on the play mat. We then played a few songs on rock band (so funny to see my dad try and play the drums!) but we had to cut that short because someone coughButterflycough threw a major tantrum and ripped the drumsticks out of my hands. So then I got a little mad and told her we were leaving until she could say she was sorry. And then dragged her limp and sobbing little body down the stairs and out the door. As we were leaving, she started yelling she was sorry but sadly, the time had passed and we had to go. I really was looking forward to playing more rock band. Maybe another time.
A very busy but fun day. Our last Sunday here!
Safire
Safirefamily, feeding boys, MusicMan, Rock Band, Splats and Fam, trips to Utah
Apr 21
Everyone,
Just to let everyone know that we are now home from the hospital. We are all doing very well, although Professor wants to be held all night long or eat all night long. Makes for very long nights.
They don’t look a thing alike. Pirate looks more like Juice with a very angular face and pointy chin. Professor reminds me more of Butterfly and my family being rounder and blond. Pirate is very aware of things, and Professor hates being alone. Last night, I put him in the bassinet with Pirate and Professor scooted over, rubbed his forehead on his brother’s, and fell right asleep. It was such a cute brother/twin moment. This is going to be so much fun!
We went to the first pediatrician visit for both of them this afternoon. Wow it’s hard getting around with 2 babies. And Juice was with me! And we left Butterfly home with the grandparents! Both babies are doing well, and it looks like their weight loss after birth is evening off. I am breastfeeding both so far. They have slight jaundice but nothing to worry about. 
Just a picture to leave you off with. Both boys are sleeping right now and I am going to go sleep myself. We love having the boys with us. It’s amazing how easily they fit into our family and into our lives.
Safire
Safirefamily, P and P
