the Sandbergs

Twins walking

2009-07-19T15:52:00.002-05:00

Life is getting interesting around here.... the twins have started walking!! They are still taking lots of tumbles, but are trying to get the hang of it!!

4th of July Fun!

2009-07-07T10:21:00.006-05:00

We spent July 4th weekend at Grammy & Papaw's house. We had a great time. Drew and the twins enjoyed playing in the kiddie pools and being outside.

yummy watermelon

the beach

2009-06-26T20:48:00.003-05:00

We got to go to the beach twice this month. It was lots of fun, especially since Grammy kept the twins BOTH times!! Drew enjoyed both trips,but I think he really did miss his brothers!! The first several pictures are from San Destin, and the last few are from Gulf Shores. Drew did really well swimming by the end of the second trip. He had a blast in the pool, and he liked to jump over the waves, play in the sand, ride his boogie board, and go crabbing at night! Good times....

100th post

2009-06-13T19:30:00.008-05:00

Well, this is my 100th post on the blog!!! What better thing to blog about than Reed & Ryan's first birthday party??!!?? So, here are lots of pictures from the big event. It was a fun cowboy party with lots of family and friends. They were so cute, and they especially loved getting into some cake!!!

Proud Mama

2009-05-22T09:29:00.002-05:00

Mothers Day

some recent pics.

2009-05-22T09:16:00.005-05:00

Brothers

Ryan... look at that mess!!!!

Reed

at my mom's family reunion..

Grammy & Papaw withe all the boys.Papaw bought Drew this huge bag of popcorn at Cabela's.

Major Blog Neglect!!

2009-04-29T18:47:00.012-05:00

So sorry to all the faithful readers out there (ha ha!).. Things have been rather busy at our house, so the blog has taken a back seat! The twins are almost 1!! Someone asked me the other day if I could believe that they would be 1 soon, and my response was, "really?? they're only gonna be one?? are you sure they're not gonna be at least 2???" I was only kidding, of course. However, it has been a heck of a long year!!! We wouldn't trade any of it for the world though! Here are some pictures of what we've been up to lately:

One Sunday after church

Rub-a-dub-dub.....

a visit to Grammy's houseRyan & GrammyShannon & ReedCarl, Drew & I went to visit Shannon for the weekend while Grammy kept the twins. We had a lot of fun. We took Drew to ESPNzone Friday night. Saturday, we had lots of fun at the aquarium, and then on to the Varsity for lunch. That afternoon, we played at a park near Shannon's house. Much Fun!!We got to the aquarium early, and some of the divers were still inside cleaning the tanks. Drew was absolutely terrified of the divers. He kept saying "I'm afraid of that boy, I'm afraid of that boy!"the 3-D showon the way home... Mr. Coolthe twins are learning to drink out of cups! Reed

Ryan

and learning to pull up! Double Trouble!
More like Triple Trouble....
a visit to GranJan & Grandpa's house last weekend.

Drew has enjoyed playing outside in some of the nice weather we've had. Pretty soon, it will be too hot to want to go outside!! Also, the past 2 weeks, he has gone to swimming lessons with Ms. Lou. It has been interesting to say the least. He loves to jump in and play, but as soon as Ms. Lou starts walking toward him, he starts screaming! One day, he drank so much water that he threw up in the pool!! She, of course, didn't care.. but, I felt obligated to stay in that corner of the pool so the others wouldn't have to come around it!! ha! Carl got to come yesterday, so I was able to get a few pics!

Reed & Ryan are getting into EVERYTHING these days!
and this is what they do now when you put them down for a nap!! They just stand at the end of their beds and look at each other. One day, they woke up and I couldn't hear anything but laughing! They were just looking at each other and both were laughing so loud! Wonder what they were saying to each other??? SO cute!

Whew!! That's all for now!!!

happy easter!

2009-04-11T21:08:00.000-05:00

my sweet valentines

2009-02-14T19:58:00.002-06:00

Updates....

2009-02-14T10:19:00.005-06:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything... lots of things happening at the Sandberg household!! I have started back to work a couple of days each week. The twins are going to Mother's Day Out at FBCJ and so far, so good. They seem to be doing great. I think it has been good for my sanity to get out of the house a little bit!! They are growing so much and it is hard to believe they will be 9 months old soon!! They have certainly come a long way. This past week at their Synagis appointment, they both weighed 19lbs and 9.5 oz!! Reed is a few inches longer than Ryan, but Ryan has sort of a big head... it was in the 85th &ile at their 6 month check up!! Reed has been sitting up on his own for a while, and just this week Ryan has joined him!! It has been so funny watching them... I'll put them in the floor across from each other, and they will just look at each other and smile and laugh! So cute!!

Ryan

Reed, Ryan

Okay, please don't call DHS.... So, the other day, I had put both babies in the floor to play. I put the boppy behind Ryan, because he still can get a little off balance while sitting. Drew and I were in the kitchen for a few minutes and Ryan starts crying. I usually try to give them a minute to "work it out" when they start fussing, and usually they do.... but not this time. Ryan would not give up. So, Drew and I walked back into the living room and this is what we found:

Yes. That is Ryan's head sticking out from underneath the side of the couch. I have NO idea how he was able to do this. As you can see from the position of the boppy, he was sitting there, facing Reed when I left. (which by the way, I was only around the corner and it couldn't have been more than a few minutes!!)
Drew was so worried about him... he got down on the floor and was saying "Ryan, it's okay, Ryan, it's okay... get him mommy!"

Grammy came last weekend and kept the boys so we could take Drew to the Rodeo. We had a great time with the Davidsons. Drew really enjoyed it, even though we couldn't stay until the very end. Drew was SO tired.

Carl took Drew down to the floor to see Lady Antebellum. I stayed in the seats with our stuff. (Oh my... I am now the mom that stays behind with the stuff.) :) Anyway, this is them from the back!!

We have enjoyed being able to go to church again! We took the boys for the first time several weeks ago. Although, I don't think we have been two weeks in a row because someone has constantly been sick!

Ryan

Reed

8 months old!!!

2009-01-28T20:21:00.001-06:00

2 little monkeys

2009-01-22T13:40:00.001-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARL!!

2009-01-05T13:44:00.003-06:00

Today is Carl's birthday!! (31!!!) Thanks to Grammy & Papaw for coming this past Friday night to keep the boys, we actually got to go OUT and celebrate!!! We enjoyed a wonderful meal at Strawberry Cafe and then went to the Madison movie theatre (which was the FIRST time we had ever been there... how sad is that!!) and saw 4 Christmases. We had a great time. Nan made Carl his favorite cake.. homemade german chocolate! So, happy birthday to my best friend in the whole world and the best daddy in the whole world!!

Carl & his boys

2008

2009-01-05T12:54:00.011-06:00

2008 was a very memorable year for the Sandbergs. Some good...some not so good! We found out that we'd be adding TWO more boys to the mix, making us, "Sandberg, party of 5!" Carl and I both turned 30 and had 3 boys ages 3 and under. and when the twins decided to come 9 weeks early... well, the rest of the year was mostly about them!! We tried to do as many things with Drew as we possibly could, although there were no beach trips, or other fun vacations! Drew turned 3 in October and has really taken to the big brother role. I stole this idea from the Crawfords... but here are a few of our memorable moments from 2008!!

Christmas 2008

2009-01-01T19:11:00.006-06:00

We had such a great Christmas this year. It was SO much fun to watch Drew's excitement and innocence! He was hilarious sprinkling reindeer food on the lawn and shouting into the night "reindeer, santa claus... COME SEE US!!!" He was so glad to see that Santa had eaten all of his cookies and drank all of his milk! We spent most of Christmas week at my parents' house and then Sat/Sun after Christmas at Carls' parents' house. Fun times were had by all!! Drew is just having a hard time understanding that Christmas is over. He saw a toy on TV this week and said "Mommy, I want this for Christmas!" And he still can't seem to understand why Elf (our Elf on the Shelf) isn't here anymore. The slide show below begins with Drew in his Christmas program at school. The younger 3's just had a small role... singing the chorus of "O, Come All Ye Faithful" at the end of the play. Well, Drew was not going to have any part of it. He didn't cry, he just didn't participate! He was way too interested in what was going on behind him

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-05T09:30:00.004-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving this year at my parents' house. We certainly have many blessings for which to be thankful! As always, after Thanksgiving lunch, we headed to Lazy Acres Chrismas Tree farm to get our tree. Drew especially had lots of fun this year!

Looking for the perfect tree!

Our Tree!

the boys with Grammy & Papaw

Drew & Daddy making a plan!

Drew is supervising..
He decided Daddy needed some help!!

Riding in the "sleigh" (yes, that's the stroller in the back with the tree!)
Drew helping decorate Grammy's tree

Recent Ramblings...

2008-11-26T11:37:00.007-06:00

Wow! I can't believe it has been so long since I've posted. Here are a few recent pictures!

The babies really like sitting in the high chairs... even though they are still a little small for them!

This is what is usually going on at our house from about 6pm until they go to bed after the 7:30 bottle!

Ryan

Reed

playtime in Reed's bed. (no, Ryan can't sit up yet... he is propped against the bed!!)
This past weekend, Carl, Drew and I went to Baton Rouge for Marvin and Sarah's wedding. It was fun to get away for a weekend and I think Drew enjoyed getting ALL the attention again!! Saturday morning, Carl's parents joined me and Drew for a trip to the Aquarium and IMAX in New Orleans. Drew had SO much fun. I was a little worried about the IMAX, it was an animated Christmas 3D show. He did great though. It was so funny to see him hold his hands out to try and touch the 3D stuff! SO cute!!

Of course, we couldn't leave Baton Rouge without going to campus to visit Mike the Tiger. Drew had a blast. Thankfully, Mike was very active while we were there. He walked all around and even took a swim. An older man was standing beside Drew while we were watching Mike in the water, and he looked at Drew and said, "did you know that tigers could swim?" Then, he laughed and said, "except they couldn't swim last night... they sank!"

Carl didn't think that was very funny. :)

my guys

2008-10-27T14:37:00.002-05:00

a must read...

2008-10-22T08:05:00.004-05:00

I do not want my blog to be about politics, but I am making this exception. I stole this website from the Meurriers, but I think it is worth sharing. Please read this article about Obama. Especially if you are not sure who you are going to vote for. This is written by Huntley Brown, a famous concert pianist, an African American and a Christian. He talks about the reasons that he can NOT cast his vote for Obama.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/huntleybrown.asp

The Love Dare

2008-10-16T12:47:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago, my mom was here and kept the babies so we could go to church. In October, our church is doing a marriage emphasis. Stan encouraged all married couples to get the book, The Love Dare. It is from the movie Fireproof. (He also encouraged everyone to go see the movie... I think we are gonna have to wait for the DVD!!) Anyway, we are reading it and it is really good. So, go get it and start it today if you haven't already! It is $7.99 at Lifeway!

this is why we don't go anywhere...

2008-10-16T12:27:00.002-05:00

(this story is for you, ms. betty)
So, Monday of this week I noticed that both the babies were sounding really congested. I called the doctor's office and the nurse said to watch them and if it gets worse, or they start running fever to call back. So, yesterday, Reed started running a fever, and both of their congestion was worse, so, I called and made an appointment. Luckily they had one at 2:45. So, I loaded up the stroller, got the bag ready, changed their diapers, and packed the car. As I am unpacking the car in the parking lot, I realized that I had left the diaper bag in the kitchen. GREAT!!! As I am walking to the clinic, I am praying that no one will have a poopy diaper. Really? Haven't I learned by now that with my babies, doctor's office=poopy diaper. Anyway, they call us back. I begin to tell the nurse that Reed is now running fever, and no, I have not given him any Tylenol because we are OUT of it at home. No worries, she says, and leaves to go get us some. Sweet girl brought me two bottles. So, she leaves and I give Reed the Tylenol. The second it goes down, everything, and I mean everything comes right back up. Lots of mucus, the 1:00 bottle, all of it. Now, remember, I have no bibs, burp cloths, extra clothes, NOTHING. So, I am holding Reed in my left arm, and am trying to catch all the throw up with my right hand, while making my way to the sink. Well, my right hand starts overflowing and it all lands..... that's right... on the doctor's stool. Ok. So, I decided to worry about that later, and I get Reed over the sink and get him calmed down. His outfit is SO wet. So, I start scrounging around in my purse and guess what I found... a bib!! YEAH!! Except, wait... it is dirty. There are dried yellow spots all over it. So, why had I left this in my purse?? I do not know. So, I did what anybody would do. I turned it over and put the wrong side up. Then, I start trying to clean up, and realize that this job is a little too big for just me. So, I go get the sweet nurse. She brings in some "spray" and helps me clean. About that time... I thought I smelled poop. Really? Please, No!! Because, remember, I do not have anything with me! I checked Ryan, and thank goodness he was clean! I told the nurse that we were good, and didn't need any diapers. She said, well, they are in the cabinet if you do. OK. So, things are settled down again and we are waiting for the doctor.... Except... I just keep smelling something. So, I checked Ryan again. Nothing. Then, it dawned on me to check Reed. Tah-Dah!! Of course, he had a poopy diaper. So, I thought, I'm just gonna get a diaper and some wipes out of that cabinet, and no one will have to know. Well, guess what? They didn't have our size!!!! All they had were tiny, preemie sizes and big 4's and 5's. Well, I needed a 2. The thought crossed my mind to just make a size 4 work, but I knew it never would. So, I hung my head in shame, and walked back out to the nurses' desk to ask for a size 2 diaper. Of course, she was so sweet about it, but Really?? I get Reed settled and Dr. Jones comes in. He delivers the news that not only are they really congested, but they have ear infections!!!!!
I must say, though, they have handled this litte sickness very well! They both have slept well, and haven't been TOO fussy! I think I will pack a bag, though, just to always leave in the car!!

a Wedding & a Weekend Getaway!

2008-10-13T19:48:00.007-05:00

Our friends Amy & Craig finally tied the knot!!!! It was such a beautiful, sweet, sweet wedding at the Grand Hotel in Fairhope, AL. I am so glad that Carl and I got to go. My parents kept ALL THREE boys from Friday to Sunday. We had such a great time, including breakfast in bed Saturday morning and shopping in downtown Fairhope that afternoon. It was so good to see lots of friends! It was a much needed get-away for us, but we really missed the boys and were very glad to see them Sunday afternoon. I think Drew was glad to see us as well... as soon as we walked in the door he was saying, "go to my house, go to my house!!"

The Rehearsal Dinner was at the Yacht Club.

Liz, Amy, Ginny, me

Amy's sisters made Amy & Craig play the shoe game... really cute!

Amy, me, Liz, Ginny

Some pictures of the Grand:

Luncheon on Saturday at the Fairhope Inn

Mary Katherine, me, Ginny, Liz, Amy, Anna, Dana

The Wedding was outside on the Grand Lawn and SO pretty!me, Amy, Clare

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these girls - Bridget, Clare, Ginny, me, Liz

4 Months Old!

2008-10-05T16:33:00.004-05:00

It is so hard to believe the twins are four months old! They aren't quite acting 4 months old, but I know they will catch up soon!! Here are a few recent pics!

At Kate Neil's birthday party, with Anna Bush, who shares the same birthday with the twins!

Reed, Ryan

Ryan, Mommy, Reed

Happy Day Drew!!!

2008-10-05T15:43:00.006-05:00

I can't believe Drew turned 3 years old this week!! We just celebrated his "happy day" all week long. We made cupcakes, went to the fair, had brownies at school and a pizza party at home, then had a super fun dinosaur birthday party at the Courthouse Jumpzone on Saturday.

Drew got a cool Spiderman bike!

Playing Hungy, Hungy Hippos! So fun!

Courthouse JumpZone

Jordan, Drew, Owen. (They have been in the same class at school since they were 3 months old!)

Ethan, Drew, Olivia, Baker

Drew and Gabe (both have twin babies at home to deal with!!)

Fun at the Fair!

2008-10-05T15:32:00.004-05:00

Uncle Richard came for a visit from Memphis and we went to the fair. It was really fun, but we couldn't have done it without him! He rode a few rides with Drew, but Drew was such a big boy this year and actually rode some by himself!! We ate yummy fair food and Drew loved feeding the animals!

Drew

2008-09-19T14:58:00.014-05:00

Drew and I got to go see the dinosaurs at the Natural Science Museum a while back. He really liked it. He especially liked the mechanical robot dinosaur and loved pushing the buttons!

(He threw a fit to wear the boots... Sometimes you just have to pick your battles.)

Our friends, the Nelsons, brought us dinner a few weeks ago. Drew and Emily had lots of fun playing.

saying "Cheese"

Gabe and Drew, the night the Gardners stayed with us during Gustav.

I told Drew to go get in the bed. This is what I found when I got back there a few seconds later... boots on, book open.

A few random pictures...

2008-09-19T14:58:00.009-05:00

Here are just a few other pictures of the boys!

Reed & Ryan listening intently to Daddy during a bath
When I put Reed to bed, he was swaddled, and on his side... Look at him a few hours later!
Reed in the new swing!
Ryan
Reed loves to eat oatmeal at night! I just knew that it would make him sleep all night... did it? NO!Is that a smile????
Granny and Papaw Smith came to visit for the first time!

Baby Dedication

2008-09-19T14:58:00.004-05:00

This past Sunday was baby dedication at our church. We were very brave to do it!! There was a breakfast for everyone at 8:00am, and let it be known that WE were the first ones there! Yes, that's right, the ones with the MOST children were there first!! They were SO sweet, and other than Drew asking "where's papaw?" all during it, everything went great!

the Sandbergs with Stan

Ryan, Reed

Grammy & Papaw
GranJan & Grandpa
Drew is being bribed with Superman prizes at home if he is quiet.

How do you do it with twins?

2008-09-16T14:13:00.003-05:00

Okay, well, I should be empyting the dishwasher, picking up toys, and washing baby clothes, among other things right now, but I just have to describe my very adventurous morning. The age old question everywhere I go is "how do you do it with twins?" Well, after this story you will see that obviously I'm not doing whatever "IT" is right!

Ryan had to go back to see the pediatric surgeon that did his hernia repair because we thought a hernia had developed on the other side. So, I load up the (very heavy) double stroller, get the boys fastened and in the carseats and head off to Batson Hospital. So far so good, right? Well, as I was turning to park in the lot in front of the hospital, I rolled down the window to get a parking ticket. Well, the wind blew the ticket away before I could get it from the machine. So, I put the truck in park, got out (while hitting the door on some concrete thing) and find the ticket. Now, there are 3 cars in line, waiting to get into the lot. So, I get it together and drive in. Well, guess how many empty spaces there are?? That's right, ZERO!! So, after driving around the lot a few times... I guess thinking that one of the parked cars would magically disappear so I could park, I decided to drive around to the parking garage over by the Wiser Woman's hospital. So, I do that, unload the stroller, unload the babies, get the diaper bag, and get my purse. I walk across the walkway, and through Wiser over to the Batson. As I am checking in, I thought I smelled a poopy diaper, I checked, and it was negative. Whew!! One less headache. Okay, so, we finally get checked in and head off to the room to get weighed and measured. By this point, Ryan has definetly had a BM, which by the way, is cause for celebration for him... he did it on his own, with no suppository or Miralax! So, I have to leave the weighing room and walk around the corner to this TINY ladies' room. I park the HUGE stroller, which is blocking the only 2 stalls... all the time praying that no one would come in to use the potty. As I got Ryan on the changing table, the door swings open and in walks a nurse. I stop and try to move the HUGE stroller so that she can get by. In the mean time, Ryan is screaming and Reed decides to join him. Well, I get Ryan changed and back in the HUGE stroller and the sweet nurse is just trying to help me, all the while saying "I don't know how you do it with twins!" OK, so I manage to manuever out of the bathroom and back to the weighing room. Ryan weighs 11.3 and Reed 12.6 (she weighed Reed just to be nice!) So, we get to the waiting room and I find an empty corner to park the HUGE stroller. We are taking up about 4 places. There was another mom with her kids in there, and you'll never guess what she said to me... that's right "I don't know how you do it with twins!" By this time, Ryan and Reed are ready to eat. So, I decided to go ahead and start feeding Ryan, thinking we'd have to wait a while. Not so much. As soon as we got started good, they came and got us. So, we loaded up the HUGE stroller and went to the room. I was able to get about 2 ounces down Ryan and a good burp before the resident came in. We put Ryan on the table, and he poked,prodded, pulled, and squeezed him. I was thinking... yep, all of that bottle is about to come back up. But, remarkably, it did not. So, after the resident left, I got Ryan settled back in my lap to finish his bottle. However, THIS is when it all came back up. And I mean ALL of it. It was projectile spit up at its best. And not just formula, no. My boys have formula plus 1 tbsp of rice cereal per ounce of milk to help with reflux. So, when it comes back up, it is thick and disgusting. Well, it got all down the front of my shirt and all in my lap and right leg, down the legs of the chair, and onto the floor. About this time, Reed, who has been sitting in the carrier in the stroller, starts screaming. So, I tried to clean up the spit up. I used almost all of the wipes I had, and three burp cloths. Ryan is screaming because the bottom half of his outfit is wet (no, I didn't bring an extra) and Reed is screaming because he is hungry. So, I am standing up (soaking wet down one side of my body) holding ryan on the left trying to calm him down and holding a bottle in Reed's mouth on the right. Enter, Dr. Sawaya. He proceeds to poke and prod on Ryan again, making him even more mad the second time around. Reed starts screaming again because all of a sudden the bottle was taken out of his mouth. The doctor begins to tell me that he thinks that Ryan has a hydrocele (sp?) which is fluid, not intestines. This is good because sometimes they go away on their own. However, we go back next week (yes, we have to do this all again next week) and if it is still there, we will have to have surgery to repair it! So, please pray that it will go away! After he left, I sat right there in that room and finished feeding Reed. When I finally got loaded up and back in the suburban, I thought about only one thing I needed. I got home and got the boys unloaded and headed to the pantry for comfort food.

I ate Doritos and drank 2 diet cokes.

15 weeks old

2008-09-11T14:19:00.003-05:00

It is hard for me to believe that the babies are 15 weeks old. Reed has been home now for 8 weeks and Ryan has been home 5. We are still trying to get a schedule going!! Maybe it will happen one day. Here are a few pictures of the boys:

Reed and Drew

Reed, Ryan

Ryan, Drew (after a new haircut), Reed

I also forgot to mention that during the time of Gustav, it was the sandberg refugee camp here for a few days. Carl's parents had to evacuate from LaPlace and our sweet friends, the Gardners, lost power in Brookhaven, so they came to stay (just one night... but 2 fun days!!!) So, we had 6 adults, 4 infants (2 sets of twins), and 2 2 year olds!!!

6 GLORIOUS YEARS!!

2008-09-07T10:50:00.003-05:00

Today, Carl and I celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary! I am so lucky to have the greatest husband and BEST friend in the whole wide world! We have so many wonderful memories already and I am looking forward to millions more. I think if you would have told either one of us that we would have 3 boys before our 6th wedding anniversary, we would not have believed it!! But, we are so thankful for ALL 3 of our little blessings, and especially for each other.

On a side note:

While each year is special and unique in its own way, I must pause to remember how we celebrated our anniversary last year.... in Jamaica. This makes me smile in the midst of the way this year is celebrated... sleep deprivation, dirty diapers (double the normal amount), fixing bottles (double the normal amount), gassy babIES, cleaning up LOTS of spit up due to reflux, washing burp cloths and bibs every day, running a dishwasher FULL of bottles at least once a day..... But, we wouldn't have it any other way, right!!??

I know, it's just a season.

Now, some peaceful memories:

Happy Anniversary Carl!!

Updates

2008-08-24T13:48:00.008-05:00

Oh my... where do I begin?? The past 2 weeks are a fog!

Let's start with Drew...

He was such a big boy with his surgery. We had to check in at 7:00am, and they didn't call us to surgery until 10:30. That is a long time for a little guy to go without juice! We had lots of presents to open to buy time! He got his adenoids taken out, his sinuses cleaned out and a PICC line put in his right arm. He had a tough time waking up, and kept saying "they hurt me, they hurt me." Once the anesthesia wore off, he was okay.... until he found the PICC line, and needless to say, he wanted it "off!" We convinced him it was really cool (although I don't think he was buying it) and he was finally okay with it. We have to do Rocephin for 14 days and he is such a big boy about it. He just sits there watches "sea turtles" aka, Ninja Turtles. Here are a few pics:

On to Ryan...

Ryan had to check in this past Thursday at 6:00am for his hernia repair. Thankfully, we were the first case so we didn't have to wait very long. The hernia was only on the right side, so that was good. He did really well, and was just a little fussy once the pain medicine starting wearing off. He and I spent the night at the hospital and we were able to go home Friday morning.

Shall we not forget Reed... He has just been hanging out watching his brothers get ALL the attention!!

2008-08-14T16:53:00.002-05:00

Please say a little prayer for Drew. He is having his adenoids taken out and his sinuses "cleaned out" tomorrow. We have to be at Batson Hospital at 7am and he can't have any juice after 4am... this part is going to traumatize him. Juice is the first thing he asks for as soon as he wakes up each morning!!! AND, I had to go pick him up from school this morning because he was running 101.8 fever! They said we could still do the surgery as long as there were no other symptoms. We are having to give him Tylenol every 4 hours!
Also, Ryan went to the pediatrician this morning and weighs a whopping 8 pounds, 8 ounces!! So, we are very proud of him!! He also had to see the pediatric surgeon at Batson about his inguinal hernia. Turns out, it is a bilateral hernia, and the surgeon wants to do it now, rather than later. So, that is scheduled for next Thursday. We have to be there at 6:15am and he can't have any liquids after 4 am! We will have to spend the night because he is small.
I have decided that we are just a glutton for punishment around here!!!

3 under 3!!

2008-08-11T11:10:00.003-05:00

3 boys under the age of 3 ... oh my.

Oh Happy Day!!! (part 2)

2008-08-04T12:25:00.003-05:00

Well, we are ALL home!!! Ryan weighs 7lb, 2oz and has been completely off of oxygen for about a week! It is a little overwhelming!! Drew did great at the hospital this morning, and Reed slept through most of it!! We will certainly miss all the wonderful nurses in the NICU, but are very glad to be home. Here are a few pics. (Will try to post more later!)

Reed (left) Ryan (right)

Look Mom -- No oxygen!!!

2008-07-29T18:56:00.004-05:00

What a difference a day makes!! This sweet face greeted me this morning, sans his nasal cannula!!!! He had a really good day, except for a few times he would drop into the upper 80's, but he recovered by himself. There is a chance he will have to go back a small amount of oxygen if he keeps doing this. As of this evening, though, he was still free!!

2 months old!!

2008-07-28T14:55:00.003-05:00

Happy 2 month old birthday, Reed & Ryan!! Ryan is doing great, he got his 2 month vaccinations this weekend (one on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.) AND, his oxygen has been weaned down to 20 ml!!! YEAH!! Hopefully, we can take if off soon!!! He weighs 6 lb, 11oz. Reed had to go today to get all of his vaccines and he weighs 8lbs!! So, we are growing really well. We are just very ready to get Ryan home! It has been a very long 2 months. And as much as we love Baptist hospital, I am ready to stop going there every single day!!! :)

Reed & Ryan 2 months old!!

The Oxygen Flow Meter (what we have been staring at for the past month!) is now down to

20 ml! The only steps left are 10, then ZERO!!

A few days ago, out of the blue, Drew decided he wanted to hold Reed. It lasted all of about 2 minutes, but we tried to capture as many pictures as possible!!

My Boys

2008-07-19T19:40:00.005-05:00

Reed is doing well at home, eating and getting bigger. Ryan is still doing well in the NICU. He weighs 6lb, 2oz and is eating close to 3oz each time! We are ready for him to come home, but we know he is in great hands. My parents and Carl's parents have been taking turns staying with us and keeping Reed so that I can spend time with Ryan at the hospital. The nurses in the NICU at Baptist are phenomonal!! He is still requiring a little bit of oxygen. If it gets past my due date (july 31) and he hasn't made any progress towards weaning off the oxygen, then we will probably come home with oxygen. Hopefully, we won't have to do that.

Drew is doing well. He is starting to pay more attention to Reed. He likes to help me feed him, by holding on to the bottle. Of course, that doesn't last very long.. he moves on to bigger and better things! He is really into Spiderman, Superman, Ninja Turtles (which Drew refers to as "sea turtles"... don't know why.) His latest adventure was trying to fly off the back of the couch. I was in the kitchen and heard a loud SPLAT. He cried and cried... not because he was hurt (he wasn't, by the way), but because he couldn't fly like Superman!! He just couldn't understand!

Reed and Drew

Reed and Ryan (7 weeks)

Reed - so sweet!

Ryan (7 weeks) Bright eyed and Bushy tailed!!

Drew- watching tv

Update

2008-07-10T15:05:00.006-05:00

DISCLAIMER: I started this post on Thursday... It has taken until now (Saturday morning) to actually post it!!

Well, Reed & Ryan were 6 weeks old yesterday! Reed went to see Dr. Jones for a check up... weighing in at 6lb, 7oz!! He is gaining really well... he is almost to the curve on the growth chart!! :) Ryan is doing great too. He weighs 5 lb, 6oz. He is still needing some oxygen, so we aren't really sure how much longer he will have to stay in the hospital. Here are a few recent pics:

visiting with Ryan

On the way to go see Dr. Jones!

Where's Waldo? ... I mean, Drew?

2008-07-07T09:31:00.004-05:00

We have tried to make our bonus room into a play room (yet somehow LOTS of toys always end up back downstairs.) Anyway, last night, Drew was up there playing and it got very, very quiet. I went up to check on him and this is what I found: (it took me a second to find him!!)Yes, he is inside the toybox and throwing out all the toys.

Caught in the act!!

Reed's Homecoming!!

2008-07-03T09:26:00.001-05:00

Oh Happy Day!

2008-07-02T17:10:00.004-05:00

We finally got to bring Reed home today!!! YEAH!! He weighs 5 lb, 12oz and is eating great! It was really sad to leave Ryan there, but we know that he is in good hands! Ryan weighs 4 lb, 13oz and is starting to take a couple of bottles a day. He is still needing oxygen, but his cold seems to be a little better. Drew got to go in the NICU to meet his brothers. We were worried about how he would react, but he did great! He was glad to see them, but still a little confused about why we weren't bringing Ryan home!

prayers & praises!!

2008-06-29T21:45:00.002-05:00

Just an update on the boys... Reed is most likely coming home this week!! YEAH!!! As long as he behaves himself and doesn't get into any trouble, he will be d/c'd after we take infant CPR (requirement for parents with babies in the NICU.) So, we are very excited about that! However, it looks like Ryan will still be there for a little while. It is going to be very sad to leave him there and take Reed home. And, I just wonder how confused Drew is going to be??? Anyway, Ryan is gaining weight... he is up to 4lb, 12 oz. He is tolerating his tube feedings, and sucking his passy without problems. He is just still needing his oxygen. And to add insult to injury, this weekend he has developed a cold. Bless his heart, he has all this yucky nasal congestion, so they have had to turn up his oxygen to 2 Liters at 50%. They are testing for everything under the sun, but so far, everything is negative... including RSV. So, that is definetly a good thing. If he has a bacterial infection, he will get a round of antibiotics, which will mean getting an IV line back. Of course, if this is just a viral thing, it will just have to run its course. Which, for a 4 1/2 week old preemie, this is a little set back. So, say a little prayer for him... he is definetly a little trooper.

Babies, Babies, Babies!!

2008-06-27T11:46:00.006-05:00

Congrats to the Gardners on the birth of their TWO baby girls, Julia and Ruby!! They arrived Thursday, June 26! Their due date was July 30 and our boys' due date was July 31!! You think they just were ready to get here to meet these cute Sandberg boys??? :)

Reed and Ryan will be 1 month old tomorrow!! It's very hard to believe! Reed is now 5lb, 6oz, and Ryan is now 4lb, 11oz. They are both growing really well! Reed has done well staying off of his oxygen the past few days, but Ryan is still on 1.5 Liters. They seem to be "passing" all of their tests, the doctors and nurses say they are "textbook whimpy white boys!!" We can't wait to bring them home!!!Daddy and Reed (after a bottle)

Mommy with Reed & Ryan (how am I going to do this at home with no nurse to help??)

Reed-- no oxygen!!! YEAH!!

Reed got all unhooked from the monitors and went over to visit his brother's crib!! :)

Ryan

Reed (4 weeks old!! no oxygen & no NG tube!!)

Ryan (4 weeks old & not to be bothered for a picture!!)

Sweet, Sweet Boys!!

2008-06-18T20:44:00.005-05:00

Reed and Ryan are 3 weeks old today!!! They are SO sweet and cute!! Reed is up to 4lb, 14oz and Ryan is up to 4lb!! Yeah! Ryan got to move to a big boy crib today. Reed taking 40 cc's and is taking a bottle at every other feeding. Ryan is at 30 cc's and still having a little too much trouble keeping his oxygen sats up, so they are holding the bottles for now. He has taken a couple of bottles, but just had to work a little too hard for them, as his sats would drop to the 70's!! Here are some pics from today:

Ryan with Daddy, Reed with Mommy

Daddy holding Reed

Ryan with Mommy

Ryan in his new crib!!

Reed napping after taking a bottle!

On another note....

This face describes Drew's new sassy attitude!!

He is all about lawn equipment these days... the lawn mower and the weedeater go everywhere with him!!

2008-06-11T21:04:00.003-05:00

Well, the boys are 2 weeks old today!! Reed is up to 4 lb, 3oz and Ryan is up to 3lb, 6 oz! Reed took 25 of his 33 cc's through a bottle today and got moved to a crib today. Both boys are still wearing some oxygen. Ryan seems to be staying awake a little more than this brother.... Reed really likes to sleep!

Reed

Ryan

And... if you've never taken your child to play in the fountain at the Renaissance...it is a MUST! We took Drew tonight and he had the best time!! What great, free entertainment!!!

2008-06-08T20:55:00.005-05:00

Update on the Boys...

Reed is up to 3 lb, 15oz and eating 33 cc's every 3 hours. Ryan is up to 3lb, 4oz and is eating 25 cc's. They are both going back and forth with having to wear a little oxygen. They are so sweet and it is so hard to leave them at the hospital everyday!!
Here are a few pics-

Ryan (left) and Reed (right)

Gammy with Ryan (left) and Reed

Aunt Shan with Ryan

Ryan (brown onesie) and Reed

Reed

Ryan

2008-06-03T19:01:00.005-05:00

Well, today was a very exciting day!! We finally got to hold the boys!!! My mom and I got to hold them both this morning and Carl and my dad got to hold Reed this afternoon after work (Ryan was busy eating and couldn't be held!)

Here are some pics:

Mommy holding Reed

Gammy holding Reed

Mommy and Ryan

Gammy with Reed and Mommy with Ryan

Daddy and Reed
Daddy and Reed... with Ryan in the background.Papaw and ReedRyan holding Daddy's hand before he left this afternoon.

2008-06-03T07:28:00.004-05:00

Well... So much for that last post about too much free time.... Last week provided a major change of events at our house!! I went in to the hospital last Tuesday, about 4:00am because I was having contractions and couldn't get them to stop. I did not want to go in, b/c I just knew they were going to send me home. Thank goodness Carl's parents were here and were able to stay with Drew! Well, little did we know that not only could they NOT get the contractions to stop, but I developed a pretty bad case of HELLP syndrome. My sweet doctor, Dr. Wooley, was out of town, and so by Tuesday afternoon, Drs Travelstead and Sullivan, and the prenatal specialist, Dr. Perry were deciding what to do with us!! Tuesday night was pretty yucky and Wednesday just got worse... So, at 4:00pm Dr. Sullivan made the decision that the only way I was going to get better would be to deliver the babies... at exactly 31 weeks!!! SO....

Introducing....

Kenneth "Reed" Sandberg

May 28, 2008

4:32 pm

3 lbs, 9 oz

16 inches

"Ryan" Evans Sandberg

May 28, 2008

4:33pm

2 lbs, 14 oz

16 1/4 inches

family portait with Reed
Family protrait with Ryan
Drew coming to the hospital. He hasn't been able to see "brothers" yet, but hopefully in the next few weeks we can take him in there for a quick visit!

The boys will be a week old tomorrow and they are doing well. Ryan has had to stay under the jaundice lamp for several days, but has stayed off of his oxygen for the most part. Reed, has had to keep his oxygen, but is taking a little more food. As of yesterday, Reed was up to 18 ccs and Ryan was up to 15 ccs. They have both taken a bottle one time, the other feedings are through their ng tubes. Hopefully, we'll have some more pictures to update later!!

Thanks for all the prayers, cards, visits, and phone calls!! We appreciate each one!!

2008-05-23T13:22:00.002-05:00

Ok, so I have just a little too much free time on my hands.... but that's okay... it won't last too much longer!! The babies were doing very well on Tuesday at the appointment. They passed their biophysical profile with flying colors!! The weights were 3.4 and 3.7!! So, that is good!

Hope everyone has a safe Memorial Day weekend. I will not mention that my mom and sister will be in Destin, as it is just not fair. :)

2008-05-19T07:26:00.004-05:00

I thought I would post these pictures of the door hanger/birth announcement for the hospital door for when the twins arrive! I thought it turned out really cute! It was custom made by a lady at Leap Frog in Madison!! Also, another quick update... my doctor has made me stop working and I am on "modified" bedrest....which I'm not exactly sure how you do with a 2 year old!! Last week, the twins weighed 2-15 and 2-11. The sonographer had a really hard time getting their measurements and so she thought they could actually be a little bigger than that! We go again tomorrow so I'll be anxious to see their growth!

2008-05-19T07:19:00.004-05:00

Mud-Ridin'!!!

Drew drove through this mud hole for probably 30 minutes... never said a word!! He had a great time and got VERY muddy!! I guess this is what I'll be doing for the next several years with all these boys!!!

2008-05-09T07:59:00.003-05:00

Update on the Babies!!

We went to the doctor yesterday and the babies weigh 2lb, 10oz and 2lb, 11oz. They are right at the 50 percentile, which is good. They are certainly doing lots of moving around!! Now, I'll start going every week and they will do the biophysical profiles on the babies each visit. Hopefully, everything will continue to progress well! We kinda felt sorry for them because they are running out of room and are just kinda tangled up in there!!! It was hard for the sonographer to even measure or get pictures!

2008-05-07T11:11:00.008-05:00

Getting Ready for brothers. Firetrucks. Fishing & Family Reunions. Supper Club. The stomach bug.

This is what has been going on at our house lately!!

The nursery for Reed and Ryan is slowly but surely coming together. Every once in a while Drew decides that all of the baby things are his. We let him entertain the idea for a while, then go on to convince him he is a big boy and does not need a bouncy seat, crib or swing!!

Drew had been asking me for several weeks if he could go see a firetruck. So, one day after I picked him up we went to the firehouse next to the Madison airport. Drew was SO excited and could not wait to get there... until we got there. The fireman had the big firetruck outside cleaning it, so the sweet fireman put Drew inside the firetruck. It took about 2 seconds for him to have this panicked look on his face and then start crying!! Well, we got over this pretty quickly and they let him get in a small firetruck, which he liked better! They let him ring the bell, turn on the lights, and gave him lots of goodies!! The only thing he didn't get to do, that he still talks about, is climb up the big ladder!!! Can you imagine driving down Old Canton Road and seeing a 2 year old climbing up the ladder on the big firetruck??? I really think he would have done it if they had said okay!!

Drew and I went to my parents a few weekends ago for a family reunion on Saturday. Friday afternoon, we went down to my grandparents for a visit. Drew and my dad had a great time fishing at the pond!

This is just my mom and her 2 sisters and their families... the ones that could make it for the reunion!

The Wolgamotts hosted a crawfish boil supper club for the month of April! Fun times were had by all!!!

Last, but not least, Drew and I got the stomach bug!!! And, there is nothing fun about a 2 year old OR a 28 week pregnant girl having the stomach bug! We are so thankful to a wonderful dad/husband for taking care of everything!! Let's pray Carl doesn't get it now!!!

2008-04-18T07:48:00.002-05:00

Don't pay someone to hem your jeans!!!!

Although, I'm certainly not wearing any designer jeans these days... unless you count the ones from Motherhood or Old Navy... but, for those of you who are, here is a lesson in how to hem your jeans while KEEPING the original hem. My sister found this website and I thought I would share it! I didn't want to post the whole article...it's a little lengthy. For those of you who already know how to do this, just ignore!!

http://daciaray.com/?p=38

Also, thanks Anna for the new header!! SO cute!!

2008-04-17T07:49:00.005-05:00

Baby Shower!!

My sweet friends gave us a baby shower for the twins this past Saturday at the Davidsons. It was lots of fun.. but scary getting 2 of everything!!! Thanks for everything girls!!

Mom (aka Gammy,) me, Shannon

Susan, Clare, me, Crystal, April

Gammy, me, GranJan (Carl's mom)

(such cute appliques and monogramming done by Summer!!)

2008-04-07T19:41:00.003-05:00

Drew had a great time fishing with Daddy at the Peeples' pond. Although his attention span was rather short, he actually caught 3 fish in a very short amount of time!! Actually, the 3rd fish never made it out of the water. Once it got the hook, it jerked the brand new Spiderman fishing pole right out of Drew's arms and into the pond.... never to be seen again!!! After that, Drew was pretty much done with fishing and went on to bigger and better things... the trampoline!

2008-03-29T20:25:00.005-05:00

Today we went with my dad to the Sysco picnic at the Jackson Zoo (while Gammy stayed home sewing for the twins!!) Drew had SO much fun!! He loved all the "jumpy" things, riding the train and the carousal and he especially loved seeing all the animals. He was SO worn out that he fell asleep on the way home... which he hasn't done in a really long time!!

Of course, Papaw couldn't leave the zoo without buying Drew a prize. So, the first thing Drew wanted when we walked in the gift shop was a mask. I really didn't think he would leave it on when I put it on his face, but oh my, how I was wrong. He loved it!! In fact, he left the zoo wearing it! He calls it his "baby jaguar" (from Go Diego Go.) But, I'm not really sure if it is a jaguar or a leopard??? Oh well... it doesn't really matter to Drew!!

2008-03-29T15:14:00.002-05:00

SURPRISE!!!

My sweet hubby did the nicest thing for me this week. He knows I love surprises, and he listened very attentively last Sunday at church as I was talking to a friend about her fabulous Liz Henry necklace. I had mentioned that I liked the silver necklace with the circle. As I was getting in my car to go to work one morning this week, there was a small brown bag in my seat with a sweet note and guess what??? the Liz Henry necklace!!! YEAH!!! Thanks Carl! You are the greatest!!

2008-03-26T16:32:00.004-05:00

We had a very happy Easter! Drew was really not "in" to the Easter bunny, but when he saw what the Easter bunny brought, he said "Thank you Rabbit!!!" It was so cute!

Our feeble attempt at a family photo before church.
Drew had fun hunting Easter eggs with Olivia and Megan.

Enjoying the fruits of their labor!!

2008-03-26T15:23:00.002-05:00

Uncle Richard came down from Memphis a few weekends ago to visit! Drew loves playing with him. Except Drew put him in time-out when they accidentally bumped heads while wrestling each other!! Richard was a good sport about it though, and went without arguing!

We went to the mall last week to try and get a picture with the Easter bunny. These are the only pictures we came home with! Drew would have nothing to do with that rabbit.

2008-03-16T15:03:00.004-05:00

REALITY!!!

It is slowly, but surely becoming quite evident around here that we will soon have 2 babies!!!!

(yes, i know... we are getting another mattress...)

2008-03-11T07:40:00.002-05:00

Please vote and help us name these children!!! We are stuck!!! These are just a couple of the names we like. Let us know what you think!!

'>http://

2008-02-26T17:31:00.002-06:00

Boys, Boys, & more Boys!!!!

That's right!! We found out yesterday that we are definetly having 2 more boys!!! We knew that Baby B was a boy from the sonogram at 15 weeks, we just weren't sure about Baby A. We saw Dr. Perry, the prenatal specialist yesterday and it was confirmed! So, now we need to come up with some names for these guys! We can't keep referring to them as A and B! I can tell already that it is going to be quite the chore to come up with and AGREE on 2 names!! Carl and I kinda think they should at least start with the same letter, but that is making it even more difficult!! We are excited and now will continue to pray for healthy and safe arrivals.

2008-02-25T15:36:00.001-06:00

Cute Baby Gifts!!

If you are in need of cute things for babies, check out my mom's new blog!

http://grammascloset.blogspot.com

She has been sewing for years and has recently started selling these cute baby items!!

Take a look!!

2008-02-23T19:33:00.004-06:00

Just a few pics...

Riding the "caring carousel"

Enjoying Valentines cupcakes

Loving the "prize" from Baker's party!

2008-02-08T12:08:00.000-06:00

A Blog Worthy Event, Indeed...

We have been on a mission to get Drew potty trained. A mission that thus far, has been lacking success!! He does really well at school, with all of his friends, but not so much at home! So, Wednesday night, like all other nights, he sat on the potty before getting in the bath. He sat and sat and sat... with no action! Finally, we put him in the tub. Well, he would not sit down in the water. He just kept saying "tee tee in potty" over and over and over. Finally, I decided to get him out of the tub and let him sit back down on his potty. Well, wouldn't ya know it... we had success with #1 AND #2!!! So, we had a joyous celebration that involved opening a present and eating chocolate candy and then we called papaw and gramma and Drew told them the exciting news!! We just made a big deal over this. He even woke up the next morning talking about it and couldn't wait to get to school to tell She-She. So, sorry if this sorta grosses you out.... this was definetly the highlight of our week!!!!

2008-01-25T09:45:00.000-06:00

Shout out to my Sis!!!

My younger sister, Shannon, has had a rough week, so I thought I would give her a shout out on my blog!!! She lives in Atlanta, has lots of fun, fun friends and has a great job! She works for Ballard Designs as a sourcing specialist. She gets to travel all over the world and do fun things! Her "territory" used to be South America and she would go there about twice a year. Now, she has moved on to bigger and better things in India. Here are some pics from her recent trip to India:

Shannon also does fun things, like randomly take off from work to go skydiving!!!

She also ADORES her precious nephew, Drew!!! Although... I think she's a little concerned about the fact that I am having twins!!!! Will it run in the family???? I don't think she wants to find out!!!

(Shan, remember on this day in Hot Springs how absolutely wonderful Drew was acting??!!)

Have a great weekend Shan! We will see you soon!!!!

2008-01-25T09:25:00.000-06:00

I've Been Tagged!!!

I've been tagged by Amanda to tell 7 things about myself!

1. I LOVE chicken minis from Chick-fil-A for breakfast! They are the best!!

2. I really like Peter's Pottery and don't mind standing in a ridiculously long line in cold weather every year to go to the "seconds sale." The bargains are worth it, although Carl says we have way too much of it in our house!

3. I like to play to piano. My repertoire used to include a wide variety of pieces. However, now it's mostly anything Drew wants to sing, ie- Wheels on the Bus, Itsy Bitsy Spider...you get the point.

4. I do not like to see or hear incorrect grammar. I don't correct people though, because I think that is tacky. It really bothers me when I call someone on the phone and ask to speak to "whomever," and the reply is "this is her/him." This is just wrong!!! The correct response is "this is she/he." (I can't help it that my mother is an English teacher.)

5. I like a good bargain. I don't like to pay full price for anything.

6. I wish I was a better cook, even though I don't really like to cook! However, I think if I was better at it, it would be more enjoyable!

7. I have the greatest hubby in the whole world! We have a very adventurous year ahead of us and I know that he will be right beside me every step of the way! He is awesome!!

Now, I will tag Heather and Anna

(Just on a side note... in response to my anonymous reader, I must clarify that Drew did have on mittens while playing in the snow! He wanted to touch the snow and so, the mittens were off at first, when those pics were taken. Just didn't want to get the worst parents of the year award!!)

2008-01-22T08:02:00.001-06:00

In the meadow, we can build a ...... well, not quite, but close enough by MS standards!!! Drew had so much fun playing the snow. At first, he wasn't quite sure what to think of it! He would hold out his hands and say "catch it mama!" He kept referring to it as "snowman" rather than snow!! Anyway, lots of fun times!!!

2008-01-09T07:54:00.001-06:00

Belated Birthday Blog!!!

This past Saturday, my wonderful husband turned 30!!! Happy Birthday!! We celebrated by having a surprise dinner party at the Parker House. We also celebrated Neil's birthday, which is actually today... so happy birthday, Neil!! Anyway, we had lots of fun and they were both surprised until we got to the Parker House and they started identifying the other couples' cars!!! Oh well!! It was a fun night... with NO children!!! Between the 5 couples that were there, there are 10 children. And we are getting ready to add 2 more to the mix!!! :)

After dinner, we all went back to the Davidson's for birthday cake!

2008-01-08T11:23:00.000-06:00

We had another sonogram yesterday at the doctor. Carl's first question was, "are there still two?" So, we guess it is real!!!! There are definetly still two!!! So, here are the babies at 10 weeks, 5 days.

2007-12-30T12:07:00.000-06:00

We had a great Christmas!! Drew spent a few days before Christmas with my parents. After having Christmas there, we loaded up and drove to Texas. Drew actually did really well riding in the car for so long. We split the trip up by staying in Beaumont with Carl's brother, and then on to Austin on Saturday morning. We stayed there until Christmas day, drove back to Beaumont, and then back home on Wednesday morning! Whew!!! Anyway, thanks Stephen for being the "halfway house!!" Here are a few pictures. Drew had lots of fun opening presents and playing!! Hope everyone has a great 2008!!! It's going to be very interesting at our house!!

Riding in Kyler's new 4 wheeler.

Reading a new book on the way home!!

My very own teepee!!!

2007-12-21T09:13:00.000-06:00

Baby A & Baby B!!

2007-12-16T13:22:00.000-06:00

SURPRISE, SURPRISE!!!!

Just when you think you've got it all planned out.... as you may have noticed, we added a new ticker at the top... that's right..... TWINS!! Carl and I found out this week that we are having twins, and let's just say, it was the shock of a lifetime. Neither of us have twins in our family, so it was the last thing we expected to hear (or see, for that matter!) I will try to get the sonogram pictures posted later. Anyway, we have had a huge mix of emotions this week finding out all of this. There are just so many thoughts and questions that come and go through your mind, some are intellegent, others.. not so much. We keep hearing from our friends, "God won't give you more than you can handle." And while we know that is true... there is also that saying that says "what won't kill you, makes you wish it would have!!" HA HA!! Just kidding!! We are very excited and looking forward to this new adventure!!!

2007-12-06T07:36:00.000-06:00

We went to the Madison Christmas parade last Saturday. Drew had a great time! He loved the motorcycles and the horses the best! He was so funny when the bands came by. One band had just finished playing a song, and just the drums were playing... Drew kept saying "more music, more music!"

Drew and Olivia waiting patiently for the parade!

Here come the motorcycles!!

2007-11-29T20:31:00.000-06:00

We had a very interesting time decorating our tree Sunday afternoon. After Carl got it set up in the stand and filled it with water, we noticed a huge puddle surrounding our tree. Our stand had a small crack in it and all the water drained out! So, we had to take it down, and start all over with a new stand!! We finally got it situated and then the real fun began! Drew loved to "help" decorate the tree... which included dropping and breaking several ornaments!! Also, as you can see in the pictures, Drew has decided lately that he doesn't like to wear clothes! (oh my...) Also, he likes to CHANGE clothes... notice the different attire (all within a couple of hours.) We had lots of fun, though! Hopefully, more pictures later!

2007-11-28T07:44:00.000-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving. We spent the weekend before at Carl's parents' house. Drew and Kyler had lots of fun!!

Then it was off to Union for Thanksgiving at my parents'. And, it is not Thanksgiving if we don't load up and go to Lazy Acres Christmas Tree Farm in Chunky, MS to get our tree. This year was no exception!! We had a great time, except it was really, really cold. Santa was there this year, but Drew was not having anything to do with him!!

Shannon and Drew -- SO excited to get there!!

Drew "helping" Daddy cut down the tree!

Riding in Santa's sleigh to load our tree!

2007-11-09T14:45:00.000-06:00

FBCJ Adult and Student Choirs with guest Derrick Burt

Click on the link below to hear and see a fabulous choir and soloist!! (but you may want to go to the bottom and turn off the blogsite music first!!)

http://fbcj.edgeboss.net/real/fbcj/am_services/video/im_amazes_show.smi

2007-11-01T19:50:00.000-05:00

Trick or Treat!!

We had lots of fun trick-or-treating with the Davidsons. Drew was a little confused at first. I think he would have gone home after the first stop. He was so excited to get a piece of candy... he kept saying "open, open!!" He finally got the hang of it though!

Lots of older kids in the neighborhood kept asking "Peyton" for his autograph!!

2007-11-01T19:28:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween!!!

How to make wonderful halloween cookies, per Drew... (helps to have really cute stickers on each cheek!)

1. Take the frozen, already decorated dough out of the package

2. Place the precut, perfectly formed cookie dough on the cookie sheet

3. Let mama put them in the oven, take them out after 8 minutes on the timer, then help them cool off by blowing as hard and as close to the cookies as possible!

4. Eat and enjoy (this counts as "baking" right??)

2007-10-22T21:05:00.000-05:00

It's beginning to look alot like....

That's Right!!! Carols by Candlelight will be here soon!!! Over 15,000 tickets have already been given out. Don't miss out, it's going to be great!! There are lots of easy ways to get tickets this year! Click here for more information!

2007-10-15T20:08:00.000-05:00

Canton Flea Market & MS State Fair!!

My friend Melinda and I went to the flea market last week. There are miles and miles of things there that you just don't need. However, there are also TONS of cute things there, and we always go to buy Christmas t-shirts, but our favorite booth was NOT there this year and we were so disappointed! We did end up buying a shirt at Caroline t-shirts, it is a dinosaur with a santa hat!

However, I think my best purchase was from a booth that was having their "last show" sale. Drew absolutely LOVED it, Dad did not think it was all that cute, though!!

It says "the wheels on the bus go round and round," (which happens to be one of our favorite songs,) and when you press above the back tire, it plays the song! I also got one that has "Old Mcdonald has a Farm." We're not so great at singing that one yet!!

We went to the Fair on Sunday afternoon with the Davidsons! We had so much fun. I could not believe how much Drew loved it! He was not afraid of any of the rides, and he had a great time feeding the animals!

2007-10-12T14:51:00.001-05:00

I am having a party at my house this coming Thursday, Oct 18. It is a party given by Jennifer Crawford, who sales to shops all over Mississippi. She does a limited amount of in-home parties. Please come if you can, and bring a friend! She has really cute accessories in for fall... bags, purses, luggage, baby bags, jewelry and more. This is a chance to start your Christmas shopping while taking advantage of the same prices the stores pay!!! Think of it as being able to buy twice as much!!! There is no pressure to buy anything. She'll have everything laid out for you to see and whatever you buy, you take with you when you go. NO ordering and waiting!! Hope to you see there!

2007-10-09T21:55:00.000-05:00

We had lots of fun at Drew's "tractor" birthday party Saturday. He had lots of fun in the "jumpy" and playing with his friends on the tractor! Here are some pics: He's actually a pretty good driver!!

He loves all of his gifts, especially the Peyton Manning jersey (thanks gramma) and the tractors. It is all we can do to not have them in the bed at night!!

2007-10-03T20:52:00.001-05:00

Can you believe that the countdown to Drew's 2nd birthday is OVER?? I can't. It seems like just yesterday... Anyway, I think Drew had a fun day on his 2nd birthday, minus the 2 year old check up, which included a finger stick, a hep-A vaccine, and a flu shot!!! He opened a few presents, had fun Elmo cupcakes at school, played at Chik-fil-A, and ate ice cream there for dinner! Here are a few pictures! I still can't believe that my baby is 2!!

2 years ago!

1 year old!

JAMAICA, MON!!

2007-09-21T14:44:00.001-05:00

Just thought I'd post a few pics from our trip! We had a blast, but were very ready to get home to see Drew!

This was the view from our room.

These were some friends we met, Jess and KC from Maryland, and Jennifer and Phillip from South Carolina. The guys had a ping pong championship (with one of the resort workers) and of course, Mr. Competitive's (Carl) team won!!

5 years and counting....

2007-09-05T16:39:00.001-05:00

Happy Anniversary Carl!!! On this day 5 years ago, I got to marry my very best friend in the whole world! It has been lots of fun and I know the journey has just begun! We've had so much fun and I look forward to many, many more great memories together!! Unfortunately, we lost lots of pictures on our computer several years ago, but here are some highlights!! Just Married!!! How excited were we???

Going to State/LSU games...

We LOVE New York!!!!

Duke

Oh my, remember when we could go the beach and just relax??

Fun times!!

And then, there were three!!!!

Our first family photo!

Drew's baby dedication

Orange Beach, 2006 -- Carl- remember how excited you were to get up early and take these pictures?
Drew's first birthday

And can you believe that very soon, we will have a 2 year old??? Well, we have been very blessed and look forward to what is in store for us!! But for now, we are headed back to JAMAICA to celebrate 5 glorious years!!

Update

2007-09-05T16:33:00.000-05:00

Drew's CT showed that his sinuses were full of infection!! Dr. Haltom's exact words were, "Drew has a head full of puss!!!" Sorry, I know that's gross!! Anyway, he wanted us to go see Dr. Reed, the ENT, which is who did Drew's tubes. So, we saw him last week and he wants to do Augmentin ES for 30 days and Nasonex everyday. Also, he told us to do saline drops in his nose several times a day to dry to thin out the "goop" in his sinuses. Hopefully, all of this will do the trick. We go back to see him after we are done with the antibiotics. If it's not better, Dr. Reed mentioned taking out the adeniods (sp??). Anyway, thanks to all those who asked!!!

X-Rays are Easy!!

2007-08-27T20:04:00.000-05:00

Well, actually, they are very much NOT easy! We had a little bit of a trying experience today. Drew had allergy testing done this morning at Dr. Haltom's office.. which, by the way, is not too much fun, either. He wasn't allergic to anything. Then, Dr. Haltom told us he wanted Drew to have a CT scan of his sinuses done at Baptist. Well, his nurse called Baptist to schedule us an appointment and lo and behold, they told us to come right over, that they could do it right now! Well, we should have known better than that! Actually, we didn't have to wait too long. We had to go through the whole admissions process, Drew of course hated the bracelet on his arm. Then, we finally got called back for the scan. Only one parent could go, so I went with Drew. Let me just say that this was a difficult experience for all those involved. They put Drew on the table, swaddled him up with several sheets and blankets (arms by his side), put his head on the "bean bag" tray and strapped him over his cheeks and forehead. By this point, Drew and I are both crying, but Drew is wailing, screaming, etc, etc. So, I try to talk to him about Elmo, Zoe, Barney, comparing this to riding a wagon (?? I know, it was a stretch) any, or all of the above. When it was finally over, what seemed to be an eternity, I picked him up and he finally calmed down. Well, his reward was a sticker that reads "X-rays are Easy!" I mean, really? Not so much. I hope that we don't have to do that again anytime soon!

2007-08-21T07:43:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since our last post! Just thought I'd post a few pictures of what Drew has been up to lately....

A couple of months ago, Drew moved up to the younger 2 year old room at school. One of the biggest changes was that now for breakfast and lunch, they sit at little tables, rather than high chairs and also, no more sippee cups!!! So, they gave us a "real" cup to bring home to practice with. He is doing great! However, most of the time we use sippee cups to avoid having to clean up lots of messes!

See what kind of mess we make when we eat??

Drew is fearless these days. Here we are standing on the car, watching Elmo.

A man after my own heart... Drew likes the piano. His favorite song to play with mama is "happy...a-mmmeeeeaaannnn" aka "if you're happy and you know it." He says the words happy, and amen. the amen is very long and drawn out, but very cute!! He points to his cheeks and smiles when we get to the part about "then your face will surely show it."

Hot Springs!

2007-07-23T08:08:00.000-05:00

We just got back from staying at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, AR with my parents and sister. Fun times included: lots of fish being caught, water skiing and swimming in the lake, playing in the pool, mineral baths and spa treatments at Buckstaff Bath House http://www.buckstaffbaths.com/ (for the girls). Here are a few pics!

Dad and Carl fishing at Lake Ouachita

Riding in the boat is such hard work!!
Go Shan!!
Certainly, you can ski behind a bass boat!!!

Aunt Shannon playing with Drew in the pool!

More beach pics!

2007-07-15T15:37:00.000-05:00

Beach Time!!

2007-07-12T17:18:00.001-05:00

So Much Fun!!!

2007-06-25T20:22:00.000-05:00

Drew loves to play outside (in the boots, of course!)

Such a big help planting flowers!!!

Believe me, there was no one happier than Drew that it rained on Sunday. He sat right down in the puddles and splashed all around!! He was soaking wet!!
Of course, the boots eventually came off.

Happy Fathers Day!!

2007-06-17T19:51:00.001-05:00

Happy Father's Day Carl!! After Drew's nap this afternoon, we did yardwork, then Carl and Drew had lots of fun playing in the water hose. Obviously, it wasn't planned.. Drew doesn't even have on a swimming diaper or trunks! Drew had lots of fun helping daddy cool off!!

a few of Drew's favorite things

2007-06-14T08:32:00.001-05:00

Splashing in puddles!! (unfortunately, we haven't had any lately!!)

Riding his "wheeler"

Bringing in the trash cans every monday and thursday!... oh yes, and wearing "da boots, da boots!!"

Playing with Miller.

And, eating snacks!!! I mean, does life get any better than chocolate pudding and nutter butters??

Welcome Home Rich!

2007-06-06T06:36:00.000-05:00

My brother, Richard has been in Iraq since January, as an air traffic controller. We were very excited to welcome him home memorial day weekend!!

Splish Splash!!

2007-05-15T21:17:00.000-05:00

Drew loves playing in his swimming pool! His favorite thing to do is spray the water hose outside of the pool!! He also loves to try and give the dog some water in his hand! It is too cute!

Fun times were had by all!!

2007-05-01T21:29:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday, Carl, his brother and his dad went bay fishing and had a great day. GranJan treated Drew and me to a fun morning at the zoo in New Orleans. Drew had a great time, I think his favorite animal was the "birds"... maybe because that's the only one he can say! He was also fascinated with the elephants...mainly because one of them was holding a stick with its trunk. Drew kept pointing to the elephant saying, "stick, stick." (Drew loves to pick up sticks and rocks in the afternoons!!) He fell asleep before we even got back to the interstate, and I think if the carousel had gone around one more time, he would have fallen asleep right then and there.