A moment of silence please....

Our beautiful, amazing, envy to all of our friends and family, HoT tUb has died! I knew it could happen I just wasn't prepared for it so soon.
It was here when we bought the house so who knows how it old it really was.
We had a good 3 years.
Hot tub may you rest in peace.
PS
If anyone knows how to remove this extremely heavy piece of equipment, or knows what we should do with it, please let me know.

Traditions

This is our first year that we will be staying home with just our little family on Christmas Eve. In years past we've always had somewhere to go.
I'm actually really excited about staying home and starting some traditions of our own. The only problem is.......I don't know what we should do.
Seth and I have been trying to think of things we could do with the kids and traditions we could start to make our own, but we can't think of any.
So I thought I would ask people what they do. If you don't mind sharing and don't mind if we steal your idea, then please share it.

Merry Christmas! Love, The Browns

Blog Etiquette

I feel I need to blog about this subject because of a conversation I had last night with my parents. We were out to dinner and they started talking about something that was on my blog. Well, this was a surprise to me because they never leave comments, so I had no idea they even read it. Apparently, they read it regularly. Thank you, by the way.
I think I speak for anyone who has a blog, when I say one of the best things about it, is reading the comments.
I can't count the number of times Seth has said to me "so and so loves your blog and reads it all the time". Again, this is a surprise to me because they NEVER leave comments.
You know who I'm talking to people. (the person at church today who will remain nameless, who said they liked something on my blog, but admitted they didn't leave a comment).
I understand that not everything on my blog is comment worthy. But if you like something I've said I would LOVE to know about it. I in turn will be better about commenting on your blogs.
Thanks for letting me vent. (another great thing about blogs)

Santa Claus

Taking 4 small children to see Santa is serious business. I had to call for reinforcement (thanks dad). But it was totally worth it.
This is the first year that Bella has really gotten into Santa. She's been asking all sorts of questions that I have no idea how to answer. Like, is it Santa at the mall or one of his helpers? How can he watch everyone? What's it like on the North Pole? Do other people live there?
It's so fun to watch her as she thinks about everything and gets so excited.
Of course I want her to remember what's most important about Christmas, but watching her eyes light up as she thinks about Santa is so fun!!

Lets Talk Tiger

I know we're all sick of hearing about this, but it doesn't seem to be going away so I'm going to put my two cents in. This is what I would want to say/ask Tiger if I could:

• Why did you get married? Seriously, you have money, looks, talent and you could have any woman you want. So if you want them all, then why get married?
• I don't feel bad for you. Not one bit. I've been hearing some reporters saying you deserve privacy. I totally disagree. For 2 reasons. 1- You're a celebrity/sports figure and that comes with it. 2- You picked trashy women to be with who want to be in the spotlight. Your fault. Although I do feel for your wife. She deserves privacy.
• I think it's fair if some of your sponsors have dropped you. At first I wasn't so sure. After all you're a sports figure and we all know that's how you guys are. But the more I hear about this story and after I heard the voice messages and text messages, I'm totally disgusted. After all it's one thing to assume that all of you are like this, but hearing the voice messages and seeing the trashy girls is another thing. I know you're an amazing golfer, but now when I see your face all I will think about is what a scum bag you are.

Okay I've judged him enough for one day.

hApPy BiRtHdAy BeLLa!!!!

Dear Bella,
I can't believe you're 5 years old today! Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday you were 8 weeks old and we moved into Laura's basement. Even in my darkest days, when you were a tiny baby, I would hold you and know that everything was going to be ok.
I am so thankful for you more every day. You teach me so much. Just the other day you told me you knew what the word testimony means, because you have a testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus. Nothing could make me prouder of you!
Your family loves you so much!
Love, mommy & daddy Breakfast and presents in bed per tradition

*Wish me luck in the next few days. Tonight we are taking all the kids to CPK for dinner and tomorrow Bella is having a birthday party with 11 kids in the gym at the church. I'm really nervous about that for many reasons. The biggest reason is because I really have no idea what the kids are going to do besides a pinata and cake and gift bags we made. So if you have any ideas for 5 year old party (boys are invited too) please let me know.

Headlines I can't stop thinking about...

So this is what happens now that I'm back to the gym in the mornings. I watch the news and can't stop thinking about the stories. And since the news is mostly depressing I start my off thinking about how the world must be coming to an end because of all the bad things that are happening. So here's a few of the stories I can't stop thinking about from the past few days.

• Max Hall: okay cougar fans, seriously, he was kind of a jerk.
• 4 Police Officers Killed in Washington: I can't stop thinking about it. So senseless.
• Shaniya Davis: If you haven't read this story it's pretty hard to stomach. Her mothers behavior is unforgivable in my opinion.
• Nutty Putty: What an interesting story. I feel for his pregnant wife. I've actually been inside this cave; maybe it's a good thing it's closed.
• Tiger Woods: Hmm...what really happened?
• White House Dinner Crashers: The more I read about these 2 the more I dislike them. But I am kind of glued to this story since they somehow managed to get passed all the security.
• Adam Lambert: Gross. I was a fan when he was on American Idol. He is so talented. But now I'm totally grossed out.

Happy Thanksgiving

I know this is cliche but I truly am so Thankful for my little family! They mean the world to me. Especially my amazing husband who has to live with 5 women.

Don't you wish you were us?

This is Claire after she colored herself with my lipstick and blush. The bottom picture is my bedroom wall and my bathroom. She also got the carpet and mirror.
I'm sure you're thinking, we deserve the parents of the year award, for watching her so closely. We thought she was watching a movie with Bella on our bed. And yes, Bella was in the room for the whole thing and never took her eyes off the show. This child can not be left alone for one minute! Seth spent the night cleaning Claire and then the two of us spent the night cleaning our room.
Seriously, don't you wish you were us?
I can almost hear you all laughing. The mess maker

I have twins?

For some reason I still haven't grasped onto the idea that I am a mother of twins!! Some days I think I get it, but most days I am still shocked when I go into their room and see them. Like this morning for example.
I came home from the gym and peaked in their room. This is what I saw. (The flash woke Syd up) But they were both sleeping in the exact same position! I don't know why that still surprises me. I mean they're identical, I guess it's normal that they sleep alike.They also had a 2 month check up today. They are both doing great! When Syd was born she weighed 4 lbs, and she is now up to 8.14! When Bre was born she weighed 5 lbs, and she now weighs 9.4! They're also sleeping through the night. Both of them! Hooray!!!!! On a side note I've had to eat my words. I shouldn't have been so vocal, when I said I wasn't a fan of matching clothes. I know I told many of you I would never dress them alike. The reason I said that was because I feared that because they are identical, dressing them would only confuse people. But, lucky for me most people didn't listen to me and still gave us matching outfits. Well, the point of this story is that I finally broke down and dressed them alike. And I LOVED it!!! It's so fun!I know I'm a nerd.

Ahh..I feel much better

Today was such an exciting day! Our little Bre has slept through the night 4 days in a row!! Hooray!! Syd is close but not quite there.
So that's exciting news but the real exciting news was I had a day basically to myself. My friend Kim called this morning to ask if she could take the twins for the day. What? Who does that? Of course I said yes, as fast I could before she could realize what she was getting herself into and change her mind. And I'm not kidding, maybe 2 minutes after she called my sister in law Kelli called to see if she could take the girls for a day. Then, not kidding again, my friend Amber called to see if she could come hold babies or take the girls. I couldn't believe I had 3 offers in one day!! How lucky am I?
Since Kim had the twins and Bella ended up going with grandpa, after preschool, it was just me and Claire. We both took a much needed long nap and then headed to Cutlers for a cookie and some alone time. It was great.
I feel so relaxed and ready to tackle another day.
Thanks everyone who made it possible.

Look who turned 40!!

Sesame Street has been on the air for 40 years! What a great show. I'm a huge fan and so are my kids. I feel like now days it's hard to find kids shows that really teach something and send a good message. But Sesame Street does just that. I remember watching it as a kid and I love that my kids can watch it as well. I think Santa might be giving the 40th anniversary DVD to Claire.

A few years ago I tried to convince Seth that we should take a family vacation to Pennsylvania to go to the amusement park, Sesame Place. But, he didn't go for that.

I was listening to an interview with some of the people from the show and I learned a few new things. For instance, did you know Maria's name isn't really Maria? Of course I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. The minute I heard her voice on the radio, I knew it was Maria. I also learned the Oscar was orange in the first season.

So here's to you Sesame Street and 40 more years!!

Mission: Successful!

I've decided I have 2 choices for my new life 1) Stay home; and be happy staying home or 2) Learn how to go places with 4 kids.
I just can't stay home. I don't have it in me, so I've opted for choice #2.
A few days ago I had a successful trip to Costco with all of them, so I thought I was ready for something a little more challenging...the zoo!
So I loaded up my herd (I copied your phrase Amy) and we headed out. It was a beautiful day for the zoo and there weren't to too many people, so it was great. But I must say, the reason this day was such a success, was because of Bella. She was such a great helper. She pushed Claire in the stroller and was very obedient. I was so proud of her!

Now with 2 outings under my belt, I think I'm slowly learning how to be a parent of 4!

Ocotber has come and gone..

I'm a little behind in my posts. Considering it's November and I posted nothing about Halloween or anything that we did in October. So here's a re-cap.

played in the leaves in the back yard decorated sugar cookies

went to the ward Halloween party and trick or treating.

If you were at the ward party you saw my costume. The saddest part was I had puppy costumes for the twins, but they never actually went anywhere and I didn't dress them up for a picture. (I wanted to return the costumes since they didn't get worn). Oh and if you're wondering why Bella isn't a puppy, it's because she would have nothing to do with my theme for Halloween. She wanted to be a cat and that was that. Although, it was a great idea since she already had the leotard from dance, and the cat ears were in the play room. We kind of pooped out on Halloween this year, especially since usually we all get dressed up. I just keep reminding myself that next year will be better, since I won't have 7 week old twins.


and last but not least, what would Halloween be without a trip to Gardener Village? So much fun!

Go Away!

I was watching the news the other day and in their entertainment report they were talking about this new movie Precious. If you haven't heard about it here's the run down. It's about a girl who's father rapes her and she fathers 2 of his children, while her own mom beats and degrades her. There may be more to it, but that's basically what I got. I can't think of a more depressing movie. I graduated in social work and I've worked with people like this. So I really can't see paying money to be depressed. Anyway as I was watching the news they started talking about the producer of this movie. And guess who it is? Oprah! Of course! Now, don't worry, I won't blog about her since I went back and looked at last years posts and I blogged about my love/hate relationship with her, 8 times.!! That's too many, and it's annoying.
But it got me thinking about the celebrities I wish would just go away. Here's my list and I would love to know yours. So leave a comment and let me know.

• Mariah Carey: Note to Mariah- stop wearing as little clothes as possible. You're too old and it's not cute. Oh, and we don't believe you're a size 2.
• Jennifer Aniston: I'm still mad at you for posing basically naked and then saying "I don't know why people care about me?". Really, then don't do something that screams look at me.
• Jon Gosselin: Not sure if he counts as a celebrity. But I've had enough.
• Oprah: Depends on the day
• Any celebrity who has a baby and then poses in a bikini, after only 2 weeks, on the cover a magazine. (Tori Spelling, Heidi Klum, Jamie Presley). That's annoying and it doesn't send a good message to young girls. Plus, now that's I've had a c-section, I don't believe any of you who say you went to the gym and worked it off in 2 weeks, and had a c-section. What you mean to say is you doctor did some major work.
• Miley Cyrus: (Thanks for the reminder Beth). This girls gets under my skin soooo much!!! It's a good thing Bella's too young to know who she is.

I know if I think about it longer I'll have more to add. That's my list for now. Who do you want to go away?

Tis the season...

For hot tubing! I can't wait. I look forward to this time of year so much. Seth drains it every year in the spring and then fills it when it gets cold. I personally could have it running all year. But since I do nothing to help with the upkeep, I have to take what I can get.
I'm not a fan of snow. But watching it from the view of my hot tub makes it a little more enjoyable. So bring on the cold weather (if it means I get my hot tub). PS- For the record the only reason we have a hot tub is because the person that lived her before us left it. And it looks nothing like the one pictured. It's much smaller, but it works.

Back in saddle again...well, sort of

I feel like I'm kind of getting back to my normal self. I made it to church for the first time in months. Well, sort of. I only went to sacrament and that's just because it was the primary program and Bella had worked so hard on her part. I also made it to the gym for the first time in months.

And I did laundry. Yuck! I hate laundry, but at least I did it.

The babies are only 7 weeks old. But, if they could sleep through the night I would be in heaven!

Me & My Girls

My friend Adrian took some amazing pictures of me and the girls last week. It's great having a friend who's a photographer! It's so hard not to post them all since I think they're all wonderful. But here are a just a few.
Next up will be Seth and the girls......we'll see if he'll go for that.

Confessions #2

Last year I copied my cousin and did a confessions post. It was so liberating that I've decided to do it again. I've kept a few of the same things from my last post and I might add more as I think of them.

1. I saw Paula Abdul in concert with my dad and Fred when I was 12. I don't know if I should admit that. Although I did admit that I saw Elton John in my last confessions post. I'm not sure which is more embarrassing?


2. I'm pretty sure there's an 80 year old woman trapped in my body. My husband will tell you I'm basically blind, deaf and I consider 10:00pm late.
3. I'm as punctual as most men. There have been many times I've had the girls and myself ready for church in the car waiting for Seth. That's not normal, I know.
4. I Lie. A lot. Some times I don't even notice. Like when I bring you soup, and you ask if I made it myself and I say yes. What I mean is I bought it at Marie Calendars.
5. I have no fashion sense. Some days I can pull off a good outfit, but most days I'm one step away from wearing white socks and tevas, which I hear is a fashion faux pas.
6. I love doing cross word and sudko puzzles. The only other people I know who like doing them are Stanley from the Office and my dad. Oh and I bet if I went to a retirement home I might see some people doing them.
7. I have never breast fed my babies. For all the people that just assumed I did other wise and have asked how it was going; see #4 for what I probably told them.
8. I've been told by friends that I'm more like the man in my relationship. (see #1 & #2)
9. I watched Adventures in Babysitting so much as a kid I wore out the tape. To this day I can quote the WHOLE thing. I could pull a rain man right now and do the entire movie if you want to come over.
10. I usually have more than one treat a day, but I'll tell you I only had one. (see #4)
11. I have a guilty pleasure that I watch on E!. I won't tell you what it is, you might judge me. (No, it's not The girls next door)
12. In 2008 I saw 1 movie in the theater.
13. I can't dance. If you have any doubt I know there's a copy of the skit the SBO's did my senior year, floating around out there, to prove it.
14. Some times I can't tell the twins apart.
15. I'm a huge nerd. (see #1, 2, 5, 6, 12, 13)
    

Seriously, that felt good. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. The question is will I still have friends after this post?

Feeding Time

I'll do just about anything to keep Claire away from the twins when I'm feeding them. So the other day I got the older girls some food and Bella set up their room for a picnic. They listened to music, played, and eat. It was great. And I enjoyed quiet time while the babies ate.

Some times I feel bad for the babies, because they spend most of the time in their crib. But it's the one place Claire can't get to. In Claire's defense, she does think she's loving them. It's just loves quickly turn into pokes and shakes.

I think the most impressive part of this post, to me, is that I was able to feed both babies and take a picture.

Wii Help

A few months ago the lady from the biggest looser was on Ellen talking about this new game, the Wii Active. Since then I have thought of nothing else. It looked so awesome. I feel like a little kid at Christmas, because I want it so bad.

It has all these different activities you can do and it keeps track of the calories you're burning. It also has some month long or longer programs and it keeps track of your progress, like your weight when you start and finish.

I'm sure I'm not explaining how cool it is, but believe me, it looked awesome!!

We don't have a Wii and I can't decided it we should get one. The price has come down, so I feel like now might be a good time to get one. But, I'm wondering if we'll really use it.

If you have one, here's a few questions I have.

Do you really use it or is it just your husband that uses it? Is Bella (almost 5 year old) too young to use it? Are there games for young kids? I don't know a lot about the Wii fit, but are the fit and active the same or different? I still have my gym pass. So if you have something like this, do you just stop going to the gym and only do this? I'm confused.

I'm really clueless when it comes to stuff like this, so your opinion is really appreciated.

A peek inside the random thoughts in my head

• loVe thAt the tWIns stop crying the MinUte they touch eacH oTHer
• Will Arnett hAs a reoccurring role on Sesame Street. MakeS it tHat mUCh moRe fUn to waTCh witH ClaiRe
• oUr neigHBor coMing oVEr to tell us she bACked inTo oUr caR
• thE drYeR is BrokEn. niCe timIng
• tOOk beLLa to gEt nEW shoEs. paID for It bIg timE. StupiD C-Section.
• NAp tIme iS the bEst Time
• FYI Dave Lettermen: iT wasN't A shocK.
• nO moRe jOn & katE. UsEd to bE a fAn, nOt anYmoRe
• can'T maKe it tHRough a daY withOut a tREat
• cLaIre hoLDing mY haNd wHIle we waTCh barNEy

Pictures & Announcements

We had some pictures taken of the twins and it was so hard to decide which ones to use for the announcements. Almost everything turned out great.

My friend Adrian made the announcement for me. Again this was hard to choose because she made 4 or 5 for me to choose from and they all looked great.

We sent the announcements out this weekend and I decided to post it because we just weren't able to send out as many as we had planned. Just sending them to our families was making us broke. So if you didn't get one, please accept this post as our apology.

2:00pm & 10:00pm: My 2 favorite times

Seth & Bre My two favorite times are 2 and 10.

If you were to come here around 2:00pm it would seem like a ghost town. I basically shut down. I put everyone down for a nap and stick a sign on the door saying we're all sleeping. It's seriously a little slice of heaven for me. Most people who know me, know that I take naps pretty seriously. I've been known to leave early from places just to make it back in time for naps or to not even go places because it will conflict with nap time. Say what you want, but it works for me. Also Bella has taken up napping again. I don't know why, but I love it. She cuddles with me on my bed and it's great.

My other favorite time of the day is 10:00pm. That's usually when we do the last feeding for the twins before bed time. I love it! Seth and I both take a baby and sit on the bed. We either watch tv or just talk. It's great. We get alone time and it's relaxing.

As much as I love these 2 times of the day, I'm still looking forward to not needing a nap because

the twins can sleep through the night. Ahh...one day

"Don't worry mom, I'll feed the babies, while you deal with Claire"

and she did.....what a good helper I have!

Breakfast at the Browns

• sippy cups with milk, bowls with cereal, 2 bananas: check


• ugly blankets that if the kids spill on I won't care: check


• basket with toys: check


• DVR with lots of kids shows: check

This is my new way to get through the morning. I get the cereal and milk ready the night before. When Bella wakes up she brings it all in my room. Seth brings Claire in and that's how we start the morning. It's a far cry from how I usually start breakfast. I was in such a good habit of going to the gym, reading scriptures as a family, and having healthy breakfasts, not to long ago. That's all gone out the window since the twins were born. I've come to the realization that for the next little while I will be staying home. This has been hard for me. I hate staying home. But at the same time I am thankful that it's even an option.

It's been one week

I've now been home for one week! The twins were born a little over a week ago and so much has happened.
First off I have to say I just love and adore my wonderful husband. I made that extra mushy so he'll squirm while reading it. All kidding aside. He has been amazing. Taking care of the family for the last few months and now helping me to recover. He was up with the babies every single night for the first 4 days. That's right, he did all the night time feedings. Very impressive.
That stupid c-section about killed me. I've heard all the horror stories and now I know why. I really couldn't get out of bed for the first few days so it was great that Seth did everything and never complained!
I've also been taken care of during the day. I don't know what we would have done without all the help. I say that like we're done with needing help. Believe me, I know we're not. But I was so lucky to have grandma Jan here from 7:30am-5:50pm Monday-Thursday, this past week, and Seth's mom came on Friday and stayed the whole day. Wow! Seriously I can't even put into words how great that was. I know that's why I'm recovering so quickly. This next week I have friends helping me out with driving Bella to and from preschool and my friend Amber has offered to come over while her kids are in preschool and hold babies, watch Claire and let me sleep. What a good friend to give up her free kid time for us. Again I'm feeling pretty spoiled. Not to mention that a few ladies from the ward have already called and said they want to come over and do the same thing as Amber this week.
I think we're starting to get the hang of this twin thing. I just feel so blessed that they are growing and staying healthy.

Utah man am I

I think people know Seth pretty well. We got a package in the mail from someone he insurances and it was Utah binky's and Red and pink leggings. Very cute! He also got a Utah apron for BBQing and Utah bibs for the twins, from Steve & Karen Mordue. (the bibs were in the wash or they'd be in the picture). Then our friend Kim sent over a package to Seth's work filled with Utah shirts for ALL of our girls and little Utah socks for the twins. Seth was like a kid in a candy store with all these presents. Thank You Kim, Mordue's & Trina for knowing us, or should I say Seth, so well!

Make it stop

It's started again. About 2 years ago I blogged about this same thing. Jan.2008

I don't know why this happens every time I have a baby, but without fail I turn into "worse case scenario mom", as Seth calls it.

Every night I think I'm ready to go to bed, because I'm exhausted, I lay down and what happens? My mind goes crazy thinking up all the horrible things that could happen to my kids. Eventually I fall asleep but usually I wake up in a sweat because I've just had the most awful dream about something bad happening to one of my kids. I know enough not to watch the news after I have a baby. But a lot of the things I dream up aren't from stories I've heard on the news.
I think a little worry is good because it helps you keep your kids safe. But too much and I'll make myself and my kids crazy.
I hate it! How do I make this stop? I know I can't be the only parent who does this. But what am I supposed to do? Any advice?

Parents of 4

Bella couldn't wait to hold the babies
I can't believe I'm a mom of 4 girls
Breanna

We've waited so long for them and Tuesday night we finally got our sweet baby girls.
Here's a quick re-cap of what happened.
Laura took me to the doctor around 1:00pm and I was dilated to a 5 plus my contractions were 2 minutes apart. They did a quick ultra sound and noticed that one baby was breach so we knew it would be a c-section. I had never had one and Seth said it was cool to watch, but wasn't a big fan of the whole thing. Sydney
Sydney was the first to come out and she weighed 5 lbs 2 oz. and was 19 in long. Breanna was next and she weighed 5 lbs 15 oz. and was 20 in long. The best part was they got to come with us back to my room. No NICU! That was great news.
Every time I look at them I can't believe they were in my stomach. It's crazy! They are just beautiful and I can't wait to get them home.
I'm here for 4 days and then I can come home and face reality.
Thanks again to everyone who has helped. We love and appreciate you all.

A Few Firsts

This week has been pretty eventful around our house. Bella started soccer again. But for the FiRst time she is on a team of all girls. She loves it! She also had her FirSt day of school. She loves that to. This year she goes 3 times a week, which I love. To top off the week Seth had his appendix out and stayed over night in the hospital. That was a fiRsT, that I'm glad will never happen again. Of course it came on a day that I had been having a cramp in my side all day and could hardly walk. We made it though the day because of our amazing family and ward. Really we have been so taken care of. I even had a friend go to Costco and the grocery store for us. That was awesome to just write her a check as she brought everything in. We also had meals brought in. Even though I tried to say no, because of the freezer meals from the shower. But they all said to save them for after the babies are born. Seth thinks he will be recovered to go to the Utah game. We'll see. If he doesn't get to go this will be one of the fIrsT time in years he's missed the opening game.
I also went to the doctor today and had another huge shock. I still can't believe it but one of the babies is 5 lbs and the other is 6 lbs!!!! What the..? I have a friend who just had twins, and hers were that weight, and I remember thinking there's no way mine will be that big. I could never carry that much baby.
I'll have to take a picture for those of you who don't see me all the time, but seriously someone told me the other day that I look like I'm going to fall over in the front because that's where all the weight is. It's true. My stomach is all baby and getting so big! I've made an executive decision (without consulting anyone) that I'm officially taking myself off of bed rest, starting this weekend. Just don't tell my doctor. So if you see me lifting Claire or walking up and down my street, it's ok.

He knew this picture was going on the blog so he refused to smile

Bella is the tall one in purple