My Pod Has Two Peas

When I Grow Up!

2011-10-10T09:45:00.000-07:00

Jon (to Addison): "You can be whatever you want when you grow up. A fireman, policman, doctor, teacher, lawyer.."

Addison: "A Princess!?!"

Jon: "We live in the wrong country for that."

Team Loyalty

2011-10-09T16:09:00.000-07:00

After Michigan scored in the football game vs. Northwestern:

Gail (to Samuel): "Say 'Go Blue!' "

Samuel: "Go Blue! Hey Chicago what do you say, Cubs are gonna win today!"

Noun or Verb?

2011-07-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

Samuel was drawing on his magnadoodle.

Samuel: "See what I made mommy?"
Gail: "What is it buddy?"
Samuel: "It's a spaceship! But it's broken in half because it was hit by a bort".
Gail: "Oh". *confusion*
Samuel: "It's a bort mommy, like in "The Incredibles". You know, "Abort! Abort!".

Strawberry Picking

2011-06-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

We love Sauvie Island and all of the farms and produce stands. Last Friday we went strawberry picking at Sauvie Island Farm. I came back with about 15 pounds of strawberries. Based on Addison's face, we could have had closer to 20!

Genesis 1

2011-06-24T15:19:00.000-07:00

While driving up Cornell through Forest Park:

Addison: "Did God make trees?"
Gail: "Yes"
Addison: "Did God make flowers?"
Gail: "Yes, God made all living things."
Addison: "Did God make cars?"
Gail: "Well, God made people and he gave us a brain and ideas so we could make cars."
Addison: "Did He make jelly beans?" (big smile on her face)
Gail: ......

Resourcefulness

2011-06-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

This morning Addison came downstairs with her pj top completely unbuttoned.

Gail: "Addy, mommy needs to fix those buttons on your pj's."
Addison (3): "Why?"
Gail: "Because they won't stay buttoned so I need to find a way to fix them."
Addison: "Maybe we can tape them shut?"

Story Time

2011-05-19T16:08:00.000-07:00

Worship!

2011-04-25T16:54:00.000-07:00

Addison and Samuel received a CD from church of the song "Hosanna!". They learned it for Palm Sunday after playing it over and over. Saturday morning Jon was making them a smoothie and Addison started singing:

"Smoothie, smoothie, smoothie is the Highest!"

That was one amazing smoothie.

Theological Question?

2011-04-25T16:51:00.000-07:00

Samuel: (playing with a lemon from the toy food) "Is that a hole in the lemon mommy?"
Gail: "Yes, that is a hole buddy."
Samuel: "Why did Jesus make it that way?"

What's a Bieber?

2011-02-10T20:16:00.000-08:00

Off-off Broadway

2011-01-19T19:30:00.000-08:00

A Visit To Santa!

2010-12-22T10:20:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday we went to visit Santa. As expected Addison would not sit on his lap. She's pretty frightened of characters, especially the bird at Red Robin! (she says he's not nice...). Santa was very sweet though and spoke to Addison while she clutched on to me and asked her if she would like a baby doll. She nodded her head so she feels that her visit with Santa is complete and he knows what to bring. Samuel on the other hand had no problem sitting on Santa's lap, high fiving him and telling him he wanted a "tractor and a choo choo!".

Merry Christmas!!

The Littlest Evangelist

2010-12-14T19:56:00.000-08:00

Yesterday at school Addison took a cowboy hat and turned it upside down, then she put a car inside. She carried it over to her teacher and said "this is baby Jesus".

Improv

2010-12-14T19:42:00.000-08:00

We get these great Improv shows from Samuel and Addison on occasion. This is one from October, enjoy!

Fall Catch-Up

2010-12-14T19:15:00.001-08:00

This fall was filled with what is becoming some traditions for us. First was the Portland Apple Festival and this year it was a beautiful day. Samuel and Addison had their first face painting as well.

Our next favorite tradition is going to the Pumpkin Patch on Sauvies Island. This year the crowd was unbelievable and we weren't able to get into the produce barn. But we had a great tractor ride out to the field and picked some very nice pumpkins.

We had a really nice fall, which was wonderful since our summer never really seemed to show up. As a matter of fact, we had one of the coldest summers on record in 30 years was one of the reports.

Fashion Week

2010-10-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

One morning last week I left Addison in her room to get dressed. She had picked out a pink dress and shoes. I gave her 3 pair of pink socks to choose from and went to get ready. When she came downstairs she had put all the pink socks away and was wearing green socks. And she went to school that way because I LOVE the fact she can dress herself and she's a free thinker!

In the car on the way home:

Addison: "What you got on your ear?"

Gail: "I'm wearing earrings."

Addison: "Oh, I will wear earrings like mommy some day".

Gail: "You can, but when you are old enough to take care of them".

Addison: "I will wear earrings when I'm big and strong".

Conversations from the Week

2010-10-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

After looking at Samuel's report of how he did on the potty at school:

Gail: "Samuel, you did great! You're a Rock Star!!"

Samuel: "I not a Rock Star, I'm a Tiger!"

Looking at the hippo's at the Zoo:

Samuel: "Wow, it's big!"

Gail: "It's huge!

Samuel: "Fee fi fo fum, I smell an Englishman!"

While doing bed time prayers:

Gail: "God bless our grandpa's and grandma, Amen".

Addison: "I'm going to bake cookies with grandma".

We're on a 1st Name Basis

2010-09-18T18:42:00.000-07:00

At dinner the other night:

Addison: "May I have another piece of bread Jon?"

(I look at Jon, he looks at me)

Jon: (to Gail) "Did she just call me Jon?"

Addison: "YEAH I DID!"

Modesty

2010-09-10T20:34:00.000-07:00

Last night Addison was sitting on the couch sing songing "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?":

Addison: "Brown bear, brown bear what do you see? I see a yellow duck looking at me."

Me: (looking at her with a joyful face and proud grin)

Addison: (after noticing I was looking at her, turns to me:) "I Adorable!"

Me: "Yes you are, and modest too."

Manzanita Weekend(s)!

2010-09-10T19:35:00.000-07:00

We had two great back-to-back weekends in August at the Oregon Coast (Manzanita). The first was our 3rd Annual Trip to the beach with a great group of friends. We played games, ate great food (including a seafood boil), drank really good wine and had wonderful conversations. We love this group of friends and every trip deepens our community so much. Here is a link to the photos from that weekend as well as a couple of highlights.

Our second weekend was Family Weekend! The four us spent a relaxing weekend at our friends house going to the beach and taking walks. The weather was better this weekend and Friday evening we saw the most spectacular sunset. Here are those pictures.

Jesus Loves Me

2010-07-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

When we were getting ready for Church Sunday morning, I heard singing coming from Addison and Samuel's room. Here's what I found:

(I found out after Church they were asked to sing this song during Sunday School and gave blank stares.)

Homonymism

2010-07-22T12:50:00.000-07:00

This morning on the way to "school" to drop off Samuel and Addison I was yawning.

Me: "Mommy has a case of the tired's!"

Addison: "I have a case-a-dilla?" (quesadilla)

Food Critics

2010-07-19T10:56:00.000-07:00

Last week we had a picnic outside consisting of Mexican food. Here is the conversation I overheard:

Addison (pointing at the sour cream and shaking her head): "This not spicy"

Samuel (pointing at the salsa and raising his eyebrows): "THIS spicy!"

Addison (pointing at the guacamole): "This only a little bit spicy"

All while putting these items on their tortilla chips and licking them off.

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-09T10:03:00.001-07:00

Toddler Beds

2010-07-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened in the past few months and I'm going to attempt to catch up and be a better blogger!! Either that or I'm going to have to give up. One of Samuel and Addison's big milestones was getting out of their cribs and into their "big kid" beds, which are actually toddler beds so if they fall out it won't be a far drop. All is going well and they've adjusted great.

Veggie Tales

2010-07-08T13:39:00.000-07:00

This morning at breakfast Addison held up a strawberry:

Addison: This Bob?
Me: No Addison, Bob is a tomato.
Samuel: What is Minnesota Cuke?
Me: .... a cucumber.

Jingle Bells.....

2010-05-11T13:16:00.000-07:00

Many of you have heard about this video. It showcases Samuel's talent at turning the tune from Jingle Bells (which they learned for the school Christmas program) into a theme for just about anything. In this case, brushing your hair. You'll also notice his enthusiasm for singing and performing when Addison tries to sing her song of choice, "Jesus Loves Me". (video taken in February 2010, I'm a little behind).

Happy 2nd Birthday to Addison and Samuel!!

2010-03-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

On March 5 we celebrated two wonderful years with Addison and Samuel. We had a party for them on Saturday the 6. Here they are after bath waiting for the party to start.

I also tried my hand at making their cupcakes. The "theme" of the party was Sesame Street so I ventured into Elmo cupcakes. With advice from a friend and a new mechanical pastry bag (my new favorite kitchen tool!) these little treats were created. I was pretty proud!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-11T09:44:00.000-08:00

Addison spotted Jon and I kissing in the kitchen. She smiled and sang "ba-by, ba-by!".

Our narrator.

Sunriver

2010-01-28T19:33:00.000-08:00

We spent the long MLK weekend in Sunriver with our friends the Korngiebel's. We had a great time taking turns skiing at Mt. Bachelor, eating great meals and hanging out. On Sunday Jon brought Samuel and Addison up to the mountain after I was done skiing so they could sled. Unfortunately Addison had just woken up so she wasn't very into it. But Samuel....he LOVED it and was grinning from ear to ear. (Although you couldn't really tell with all his snow clothes on).

A couple of pictures from the weekend:

Manners

2010-01-20T11:13:00.000-08:00

We've always worked on please, thank you and other general manners with Addison and Samuel. They also listen to Jon and I and pick up on how we interact. Yesterday morning while Gail was changing Addison's diaper she sneezed to which Addison replied:

"Bless you daddy".

We're excited she got it half right!!

"Modeling" gone wrong

2010-01-19T10:08:00.000-08:00

Last night Addison was helping Jon clear the table after dinner and her job was to put the napkins in the trash, to which she refused and while looking at us sideways giggled. I told her I was going to count to 3, "one, two, three". In the trash they went.

Fifteen minutes later while I was loading the dishwasher she kept trying to close it.

Gail: "Addison, please don't close it now Mommy is still loading it."

keeps closing, keeps closing

Gail: "Addison, what did Mommy say?"

Addison: "One, two, free...."

and then she walks away.

I'm not sure I like this "modeling" phase they are going through.

Happy Birthday to Jon!!

2010-01-12T20:12:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Jon's Birthday!! It was a day of celebrating him and making it special. He received many messages from friends wishing him well and Samuel and Addison even said "Happy Birdy Daddy"!. He wanted lasagna for dinner so I made lasagna and got party hats. We had a great family dinner and after the kids were in bed we had coffee frozen yogurt, yummy!

Happy Birthday Jon, we are so thankful for you!

Addison and Samuel.....Unplugged!

2010-01-11T10:56:00.000-08:00

We caught Addison and Samuel in an impromptu acoustic concert the other night. Enjoy!

A B C's

2009-12-07T19:50:00.001-08:00

We've been trying to get Addison and Samuel on video singing their ABC's for over a month now but they would stop once the recording devices came out. We finally got Addison Sunday morning. I love the sound of their sweet voices!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-02T19:04:00.000-08:00

Samuel the Lion (he "roared") and Addison the Pink Pig.

They had a great time this year "Trick or Treating" and going up to the houses.

We had our 3rd traditional dinner at the Korngeibel's home and then Ken, Ben Laura, Jon and the kids went trick or treating. The men were back early and switched with Holly and I because the Oregon/USC game was on. Another great year with great friends.

The Pumpkin Patch!

2009-10-21T20:20:00.000-07:00

A great day on Sauvie Island.

Coming out of the Fog

2009-10-21T12:49:00.001-07:00

I never thought when we found out we were pregnant and started this blog that I would ever write about something like this. One thing that you can't find in books or parents never really emphasize to other parents-to-be is just how exhausting it is to have a baby. Times that by two (which is really not the multiplier for twins) and you are constantly exhausted, sleep deprived and forget who you are married to. Sleep deprivation is a killer of many things that when combined make you a person you had no idea you could be.

Well, I'm happy to report that after the first 18 months, the fog is finally lifting!! It has been a trying, at times, 18 months but I am so excited that we have (I pray) survived. What makes us think the fog has lifted? Well, lets take last Saturday for example:

After breakfast and play time we headed to the gym for an 8:30am workout. The kids played in daycare there while Jon and I got an hour workout. We then walked over to the bagel shop and the kids shared a bagel and had their first taste of chocolate milk!! (I will admit that I had them mix 1/2 whole milk with 1/2 chocolate.) We got home and the kids took early naps which allowed Jon and I some time together we rarely get in the middle of the day. After lunch we headed to the 22nd Annual Apple Festival at Portland Nursery. It was a fun time of tasting 50 apples and some pears, ducking the downpour of rain, trying apple cider, listening to Salsa music and checking out the scarecrow competition.

Since we had traveled over to the east side we decided to go to Ken's Artisan Pizza. We've been wanting to try it since it opened a couple of years ago but we've been....well busy. They open at 5 and it was 4:00, so we headed to Laurelhurst Park and took a walk. Samuel wanted to play with sticks and in the puddles. He's such a boy. Addison was excited about the ducks. We headed to Ken's and got there at 4:45. When we drove up we couldn't believe there was a LINE to get in!! Thankfully we got in for the first sitting avoiding a hunger melt down (by myself and the kids!) and enjoyed a wonderful dinner and great conversation with other people at our table (it is a family style restaurant which is so fun).

We ended the day with baths for the kids, play time, books, milk and bed. We have had days like this here and there for the past couple of months and it is in those times that we know just how blessed we are. We are a FAMILY!!

Samuel Loves to Hide!

2009-10-16T14:22:00.000-07:00

Samuel loves hiding from us. You can't help but smile when he laughs.

Addison Singing and Eating Linguine

2009-10-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

Last night Jon and I had Shrimp and Scallop Scampi with Linguine for dinner. Addison decided she liked that better than the cheese tortellini I made them. I don't know what's funnier, her learning to slurp and eat the linguine or hearing her sing along to "Good Shephard" on the Veggie Tales CD. She does the "bah, bah, bah" very well and almost on cue!

Bubbles and Animals

2009-08-26T15:36:00.000-07:00

Eating Corn!

2009-08-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

We have been enjoying all of the fresh produce this summer and so have Addison and Samuel. Addison is really liking the corn on the cob!!

Lots of Giggles

2009-08-14T08:59:00.000-07:00

Adi!

2009-08-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

Samuel is saying many new words these days. Among them are:
cup
cacker (cracker)
cookie (these are rice rusks, but we call them cookies :o)
up
bye-bye
hot (said while he's pretending to touch something)
ight (light)

And last week while I was changing his diaper Addison walked by and pointed so I said her name. He responded "Adi"!! So cute and now he says it all the time.

Samuel Walking

2009-06-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

Here is Samuel walking, the video isn't very long because he's distracted by the video camera.

The Cat Says.....

2009-06-17T09:27:00.000-07:00

A Fork for Every Meal

2009-06-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

Samuel has discovered the fork...and refuses to eat without one now.

15 Months Old!

2009-06-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

Addison and Samuel went to the doctor for their 15 month appointment. I think we need to start adding some calories somewhere:

Addison 19# 12 oz 10th percentile

29 3/4" 25th percentile

Samuel 21# 7th percentile

31" 45th percentile

(looks as though Samuel is going to be built just like his dad!)

Here they are having fun with their new sand & water table.

Hi!

2009-05-29T09:16:00.000-07:00

Raspberries!

2009-05-12T16:17:00.001-07:00

This was the first time Addison has done this and it was spontaneous, very funny! Samuel gave it a try to but found his sister to be very funny.

(disclaimer: Ignore Jon's statement at the end of the video).

Things Heard Around Our House These Days

2009-04-24T12:57:00.000-07:00

Addison: "duck, duck, duck"
Samuel: "doopo" (I think this is Duplo, not sure)
Both: "d" while pointing at Maggie. yes, she's the dog.

Jon and I: "don't bite your sister!"; "share"; "the animals have something to say...."; "who stinks?"; "please don't hit your brother/sister"; "Itchy, itchy Ichabod; I, i, I".

Don't get me wrong, they play very well together. Just the other day we spied them forehead to forehead laughing at each other. It was such a sweet moment, unfortunately the camera and video camera were out of site.

Addison Goes for a Walk

2009-04-21T20:27:00.000-07:00

Addison Loves to Dance!

2009-03-27T11:05:00.000-07:00

Addison loves to dance as you'll see in this video. (the knee bend is her dancing and sometimes she claps!) Samuel is also doing a more "normal" crawl, but as you'll see he just loves to stand up to everything.

Happy 1st Birthday Addison and Samuel!!

2009-03-27T10:59:00.000-07:00

We cannot believe Addison and Samuel were a year old on March 5th. We had a small Open House for them on Saturday the 7th. Here are a few pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28623317@N05/sets/72157614959365605/

It's our birthday?

Where's Samuel?

2009-01-06T16:38:00.000-08:00

A favorite game:

Merry First Christmas Addison and Samuel

2008-12-29T21:58:00.000-08:00

Catching Up!

2008-12-29T20:34:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since we've posted anything here, maybe that should be my New Year's resolution? I'm not sure, I have two already that are going to be a challenge. More about that at a later date. We've been in a bit of chaos since just before Thanksgiving and I think for now things are slowing down. I'll take this update in sections:

Thanksgiving

We left the Tuesday before Thanksgiving for Michigan. I have to work at our largest trade show every year in Chicago starting that weekend, so we go early and spend Thanksgiving with my family. It never fails but Addison and Samuel got sick again on this trip with colds and then they weren't sleeping well. The original plan was to go back to Chicago on Saturday and Jon and the kids would stay in the hotel and visit friends, shop MI Avenue, etc while I worked. Well after the long nights at my parents with no sleep we decided they needed to go back home to get back to their environment. This meant that Jon flew home on Saturday by himself with the kids. (I have done this and with two, it's not easy.) Maybe seeing the look of terror on his face was enough, but he was upgraded to first class!! So Jon, Addison and Samuel all shared two luxurious seats on their way back home to Portland. Do you know how much attention a man flying alone with two adorable children brings? Lets just say he had no issues finding someone to hold one of them while he fed the other or had to use the restroom.

This also meant that I spent four nights away from them while I worked in Chicago. You may be thinking, "Yeah, but you got to sleep all night!". Not really, my internal clock wakes me up and I swear I hear babies crying. Plus being away that long is not comforting.

Jon's Mom

After I returned home Jon made a trip to FL to visit his parents. Jon's mom is very sick and he went to be with them. This has been a very difficult part of our lives right now and all we ask if for prayers for Jon's parents. Our ultimate prayer would be for healing, but we aren't sure that is possible. So we ask you pray for comfort, protection and wisdom for her doctors.

Sleep (or lack of)

We are now having sleep issues with Samuel and Addison. Our little pumkin (Addison) who used to sleep through the night is now waking around 1am or so. We think it's more teething and are hoping said tooth will break through soon. Samuel is just not wanting to go down in his bed anymore. He starts stiffening and screaming the moment we get him near it if he's still slightly awake. We've had to set up the pack 'n play in the living room and make him cry it out a few nights. (thankfully it only lasts about 15 minutes). Because they share a room it makes it difficult to have him cry it out in his own bed. (this is where an up-turn in the housing market would help us immensly!)

Standing Up and a Black Eye

As you saw in an earlier post, Addison is now pulling herself up. Well, this has been perfected into walking around the furniture. It's so hard to believe except for the black eye she received two weeks ago when she came down on the glass coffee table. It still hasn't completely faded but it must have from her memory because she was back at it an hour after it happened.

Almost Crawling

Samuel isn't crawling yet, but we see him making strides all the time. He's still rolling to get where he wants but he's also perfecting an army crawl which is good to see. He is very frustrated which is a good sign and we know he'll get there. Seeing his sister move around is a little motivation I believe.

The Big Snow!

I know I've told many of you that it really doesn't snow here and if it does it usually melts that day. We live in a higher elevation so there have been times we've seen snow that the city of Portland hasn't. Well, two weeks ago we got the mother of all snow storms here. The news has reported it's been the worst weather in 40 years. It shut down the schools for a week (this was when we really only had 4 inches on the ground) and then even cancelled church for us last weekend (this is when we had over a foot on the ground). Sunday morning the 21st, we awoke to no power and we couldn't get out of our neighborhood let alone our driveway. It had snowed so much the night before and then we had freezing rain during the night. It really was a sight to see. We had a 4 foot drift in front of our garage that needed to be cleared but that didn't matter because our streets do not get plowed. Portland does not have the infrastructure to support a big snow storm so we were trapped. Luckily our gas fireplace still worked so we were able to keep the house somewhat warm and left the kids snug in their footy pj's. Thankfully the power was restored by 1pm that day because many people towards the coast were without for a week. During this time our garbage pick-up couldn't happen for two weeks in a row. Now picture this sight: three weeks of dirty diapers from two babies, recycling and throw Christmas in the mix with all of the cardboard. I told Jon our house looked like Sanford and Son. I was never so happy as to see the recycling and garbage truck show up today. We are true Oregonians now as we have chains for our tires.

The snow storm is also the reason you may have received your Christmas card late....or may still be waiting for it.

Christmas

We had a wonderful first Christmas together. We know Addison and Samuel won't remember it but we will. We spent the morning at home opening presents, having breakfast and watching the kids play with a couple of new toys. Then we went to some very good friends of ours for a glorious dinner and time of fellowship.

We have been very blessed this year with two wonderful, beautiful children. Many good friends within our church, new friends and old friendships that are growing. We are still heading up the Connections Ministry at our church and are both leading Home Groups as well as participating in one together. We are thankful and humbled by God's blessings and look forward to what 2009 will bring.

I'm also excited to report today that Makenna Lynn Emery was born to our very good friends Ryan and Shelly in Chicago. She is 6 pds 10 ozs and 20 in long. We are excited to meet her, soon we hope!

Happy New Year!!

Pulling Herself Up

2008-12-03T07:38:00.001-08:00

While I'm here in Chicago for a radiology show, Jon is bravely taking care of two children by himself. This is my fifth and final day away from them thankfully because while I've been gone Addison has learned to pull herself up to the furniture. This is going to become very interesting in the next few weeks as we decide on Christmas decorations and where we are going to put our tree. Here's the photo he sent me from his phone. (Notice that Samuel is still laying in the background, content to just roll around the room).

Baby Dedication

2008-12-03T07:31:00.000-08:00

On November 16th, we had Addison and Samuel dedicated. It was such an emotional experience as we think about them coming to know Christ and trying to be good examples in our walk as well. Our pastor, Mike Roth performed the dedication. It's funny to see what they were doing while we were praying for them.

Eight Months Old

2008-12-03T07:29:00.000-08:00

I figured before Addison and Samuel turn 9 months on Friday, I would post their 8 month picture. I have some catching up to do here!

Family Day

2008-10-23T21:24:00.000-07:00

On Sept 27th we had a family day hiking in Forest Park. Addison and Samuel love being outside and Addison generally falls asleep in the backpack.

The Great Pumpkin!

2008-10-23T21:19:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we went to Sauvey Island in search of pumpkins. We couldn't find any small ones, so we got one big one. It was a great day.

Chicago Marathon 2008

2008-10-23T21:15:00.000-07:00

Jon ran the Chicago marathon on Oct 12th. He did awesome, considering it was almost 70deg at the start and 80 at the finish. He ran it in a time of 3:45! We are so proud of him. Here he is at miles 5, 10 and the finish.

Hiking with the Women of Pearl

2008-09-21T21:12:00.001-07:00

Addison and I went on a 6.4 mile hike with a group of women from our church, The Pearl Church. We had a great time and a really great workout! As you can see, it was very exhausting for Addison.

H2C

2008-09-21T21:08:00.000-07:00

The Hood to Coast is a 197 mile relay that starts at Mt. Hood and ends at the Oregon Coast. Jon ran it again this year on a team with 11 other people. You run 3 legs of the race which begins on Friday and ends Saturday afternoon. Addison, Samuel and I went out to the coast on Saturday to cheer for him and pick him up. Samuel is ready to go in 16 years as a future H2C runner! Congratulations Jon!!

6 Months Old

2008-09-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

It happened so fast! Addison and Samuel are 6 months old. If the next six goes as fast they'll be a year before we know it.

Thumb Wrestling!

2008-09-10T20:47:00.000-07:00

Samuel is penalized for using Addison as leverage.

Happy 5 Month Birthday!

2008-08-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

August 5, 2008

Putting our feet in our mouths is hilarious!

mmmmm.....cereal!

2008-07-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

Addison and Samuel get to eat cereal now. It's yummy and messy.

and exhausting.

Pictures with Family and Friends

2008-07-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Addison and Samuel on our trip:

With Uncle Mike

With cousins Josh and Jake.

With Aunt Deb

With Grandma Linda

With Grandma Linda and Grandpa Mike and cousins Josh and Jake.

With Joe and Denise Durkin

First Airplane Ride

2008-07-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

We spent time in Chicago and Michigan in June to visit friends and family and attend my nephew Josh's high school graduation party. Addison and Samuel took their first airplane ride. It was smooth sailing on the way there, the way home Samuel projectile vomited on mommy and mommy's seat, which she sat in not knowing. Lesson learned, always carry on a change of clothes for yourself as well, not just them. Here are pictures on the way there.

Happy 4 Month Birthday

2008-07-06T21:38:00.001-07:00

July 5th, 2008.

Here are the stats from their 4 month appointment:

Addison:
Weight 12 lbs 15 oz - 30th percentile
Height 24.5 inches - 50th percentile

Samuel:
Weight 12 lbs 3 oz - 5th percentile
Height 24.5 inches - 25th percentile

They are doing great! There isn't a concern about Samuel's weight because he's always been in the 5th percentile and has been tracking on that curve all along. He has his dad's genes (lucky guy). Addison is rolling all over and we can't keep her on her back anymore to sleep. Samuel is starting to roll as well now that he can have more floor time. He's on a new formula that is doing wonders for his reflux and spit-up. It's worth it's weight in gold (which I believe is the comparable price of it, but if it works we don't care). They are having a great summer and love being outside and watching the leaves move on the trees.

Our New Baby!

2008-07-04T20:59:00.000-07:00

This may seem silly to some of you, but to those in the Midwest you will understand. When we moved into our house two years ago it was 104℉ in August. I switched our thermostat over to cool and set the temperature. An hour later I was warmer and noticed the temperature in the house had gone up. I called my dad (did I mention this was his business) and he had me go look at the furnace and make sure ice wasn't forming on the line. Hmmmm....what line? Go outside and look at the A/C unit to make sure it's running were his next instructions. I walked around the house and realized....WE DON'T HAVE AIR CONDITIONING! This was something we overlooked when buying the house because when you move from the Midwest you assume the house has it, especially one only 2 years old. Well, we discovered that less than 50% of the homes in Portland have A/C because of the lack of humidity and how cool it gets at night, EXCEPT when it's 104 during the day. We lived without it for two years, but this year with two infants it was time. Especially when it got 100 degrees in May. All of us (including Maggie) are now enjoying the A/C and will make sure we don't overlook this when we buy a new house.

Happy Independence Day!

2008-07-04T20:43:00.001-07:00

We celebrated the 4th at a picnic in the park put on by our HOA. Addison and Samuel had a great time playing on the blanket, looking at the trees and clouds. Our friends Kathy and Richard came along with us and we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon eating and catching up.

As I put our flag out the other day it reminded me, as it does every year, why we celebrate this holiday. We live in a great country where we have a lot of freedoms that we take for granted that so many other people do not have. I thank God for so many things in my life, and one of those was that I was born into this country. And I also thank God for the men and women that serve our country to fight for our freedoms and do what so many of us would not do.

Happy Independence Day!

Our Chatterbox

2008-06-30T21:32:00.000-07:00

For those of you that say Samuel is always sleeping when you see him, well this is his normal state when awake. We are going to have a very noisy house when he begins to really talk.

Happy 3 Month Birthday!

2008-06-30T21:25:00.000-07:00

I guess before they turn 4 months this Saturday, I should post a picture of Addison and Samuel taken at 3 months. This was taken after we had our central A/C installed. They were wearing sweaters not because I had turned the thermostat down so low that the air made it cold in the house but because it had gotten so cold outside that when I went to turn the heat back on I discovered they had hooked up something wrong and the furnace no longer would kick on! That was fixed later that day, but in the mean time we played in sweaters, pants and socks on June 5th.

A Case of Mistaken Identity!

2008-06-26T12:48:00.001-07:00

This is why you should never dress your son and daughter in the middle of the night without turning on the lights.

(Yes, that's Samuel in the pink sleep sack.)

My First Mother's Day!

2008-05-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

It was so special to celebrate Mother's Day this year...as a Mother, not a daughter! And a mother to two of the most beautiful babies (I'm biased). A few weeks before Mother's Day I went to get my hair done, which took a while because the last time had been Valentine's Day. Childbirth and new motherhood had not been kind to my hair. When I was checking out, the girl that cuts our hair (yes, Jon goes to her as well, he actually found her first) came from the back with an envelope and said, now you have a one hour massage scheduled at our spa downtown!! Jon had set this up the last time he was in getting his hair cut, I couldn't believe it. He is so thoughtful, knowing how much I could use a really good massage. It's amazing the muscles that you use lifting two infants and how easily you can wrench your back.

The actual Mother's Day was spent with a special day at church where the children came in and handed all of the mom's roses (very sweet) and then brunch at a great restaurant. Then our wonderful friend Bridget volunteered to babysit so we could go out to dinner!

What a great first Mother's Day!

Space

2008-05-28T09:12:00.000-07:00

When we moved to Portland two years ago we bought a house. We were getting married and our city life and renting days were over. We found a house that we absolutely love, and still do. Coming from the city where I had a one bedroom and Jon lived in a studio; moving into a two bedroom, two and a half bath house with 1350 square feet and a FULL laundrey room (not a stackable in a closet or basement of the building) seemed like a dream. Our plan was to start trying for a baby in a year and live in this house for probably 5 years.

Fast forward two years. The trying went well and we are blessed with twins. Now our wonderful home is cramped, with two baby swings, a nursery with two cribs and me trying to find a place to have my home office. We have found many houses we would love to move to, but we feel we can't do anything in this housing market for selling our home. So we are making it work and trusting God that when we do find a new home and move, it will be the home we will stay in for years to come as Samuel and Addison grow.

It's amazing to look back on our lives and how they have changed in the past two years. We miss our friends back in Chicago dearly, but also know how much that dynamic has changed as well. We are blessed to have a wonderful church and group of friends here in Portland and know this is where we are supposed to be. We are enjoying ministry, marriage and parenting and look forward to where God will lead us over the next few years. And we dream of space.

Addison Rolled Over Today!

2008-05-07T17:44:00.000-07:00

That's right, at 2 months of age our daughter rolled over this morning from tummy to back. I put her back on her tummy to make sure it wasn't a fluke and she did it again. Of course I didn't have the video portion of the camera going, but here's a picture of her holding up her head so you can see how well she does. I'm all over trying to get a video of it tomorrow. Our pediatrician thought she would go any time based on the visit yesterday. She told us that is what a 4 month old month normally does...we were so proud :o)

Stats!

2008-05-07T12:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Addison and Samuel's two month check-up at the pediatrician. Here are the official stats:

Addison: 9 lbs 11 ozs - 22.5 inches
Samuel: 9 lbs 9 ozs - 22.5 inches

We couldn't believe it, we thought they were around 8 pds. They also got their first immunizations, which was heart breaking. Two shots in each thigh times two babies makes for sad parents. They're having a mellow day today because of it.

Happy Two Month Birthday

2008-05-06T12:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our birthday, on Cinco de Mayo. We didn't get to celebrate with sangria or margaritas though.

First Smiles!!

2008-05-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of Samuel and Addison's smiles. Samuel smiled at 6 weeks, our more serious little girl smiled at 8 weeks. Now they smile all the time. It makes all those sleepless nights so worth it when you go in to their room in the morning and see them smile back at you when they see your face and hear your voice.

Our Wonderful Doctor

2008-05-06T12:49:00.001-07:00

At my 6 week postpartum check up, we made sure to get a picture of my wonderful doctor, Dr. Wentross. We became very close during my pregnancy, probably because I had to see her so often with the twin pregnancy. I asked her how many times she had delivered twins via vaginal and then an emergency c-section...I was her second. She says she likes to finish how she starts, unfortunately Samuel didn't cooperate with that theory. I'm really going to miss seeing her so often, if you're in Portland and need an OB, I highly recommend her. She has a great sense of humor and is comforting and knowledgable. But as Jon has told many people, when it came down to getting Samuel out, she turned into a very different person and became all business. Jon jokes that he doesn't know what happened to our sweet doctor when the c-section became urgent. But that's what you want with a doctor when the health and safety of you and your children are at stake.

An Evening Out

2008-05-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

The whole family attended the wedding of some dear friends of ours on March 29th. Then Samuel and Addison stayed home with sitters while Jon and I went to the reception. We stayed 3 hours!! That was all the longer I could stay awake, I kept thinking I could be home sleeping right now. Those were the VERY sleep deprived days. I have to say, we looked pretty good though for getting 2-3 hours of sleep at a time.

First Baths

2008-05-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

Here we are taking our first baths. We really like them and don't really cry, and then like being wrapped in our cute towels after. They're warm and cozy.

Our First Family Photo

2008-05-06T12:22:00.001-07:00

The whole family...even Maggie.

Our First Lunch Outing

2008-05-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

We were 10 days old when mommy took us to see daddy at work and go to Chipotle for lunch. This was our first outing, we love to go out and be social. Of course after riding in the car we fall asleep, so we miss out on a lot of where we are going.

First Cubs Game!

2008-05-06T11:58:00.000-07:00

Here we are watching our first Cubs game. We attempted to watch the home opener, but there were rain delays and we just fell asleep. We are really big Cub fans and mommy and daddy told us that's how Addison got her name. They joked that they were going to name us Clark and Addison, the intersection that Wrigley Field is on. Thank goodness they couldn't name a boy Clark....Samuel is much better! (no offense to any Clark's out there).

Happy One Month Birthday!

2008-04-09T22:10:00.001-07:00

I can't believe Addison and Samuel turned one month over the weekend! So amazing how that time has gone. Yet they are still eating every three hours, which means two hours of sleep in between. We're hoping they will be big and strong soon....and eating every four or five hours!! Time to go to bed, I shouldn't be blogging and should be sleeping.

He is Risen!

2008-04-09T22:02:00.001-07:00

Easter was our first Sunday back to church. It was overwhelming with all of the people that wanted to see Addison and Samuel and ask how everything was. They loved the music and were so good during worship, but when Pastor Mike went to the front and said "Let us pray", Addison decided it was time to eat. So, I missed the sermon which everyone said was really good. Thank goodness we can download the sermons so I can still hear it. Jon bought them really cute outfits for Easter, unfortunately by the time I took a picture of them, Samuel had peed through his outfit so he is wearing the spare one I keep in the diaper bag in the picture. Addison looks really cute in her dress though!

Happy belated Easter.

He is Risen.

He is Risen Indeed!

Happy Birth Day!!!!

2008-03-20T17:03:00.000-07:00

We are so happy to announce the birth of our twins, our daughter and son:

Born March 5, 2008

Addison Michele Mathiesen - weight 5 pds. 10 ozs. at 6:12 pm

Samuel Jakob Mathiesen - weight 4 pds. 14 ozs. at 6:38 pm

We went to the hospital on March 4th to be induced. My doctor started with Cervadil because I was still only dilated to 2 cm. That was administered at 2pm on Tuesday and can be left in for 12 hours. At midnight I was administered Pitocin and had my water broke to start speeding up the process and then had an epideral some time after that. By 3pm in the afternoon I was finally starting hard labor and pushed with Addison for 3 hours. She was born at 6:12pm. Jon cut the cord and I was able to hold her briefly, then had to start pushing for Samuel. The doctors do an ultrasound to locate him and his heartrate, it was at this time that his heartrate could not be found on the ultrasound or the external monitor. I had pushed him down a bit so they tried an internal probe to find his heartrate which still could not be found. My doctor tried to vacuum him but that didn't work so the decision was an emergency c-section to get him out. A block was tried in my epidural, but it wouldn't take, I could still feel everything so I was put under general anesthesia. My doctor told me she was waiting over me with a knife to get him out. Samuel was born at 6:38pm and was thankfully fine - praise God. I gave birth in an operating room because of the high risk of multiple births, and I'm very thankful they do that. Jon stood in the corner of the room and saw it all, I believe it's something he will never forget wondering about his wife and son.

I came to around 9:30pm and had no idea how my son was, but was relieved to see Jon and two beautiful little babies in the corner of the recovery room. We moved to our room that evening and were discharged Sunday the 9th. Samuel had to spend 14 hours in the NICU on Thursday because of glucose levels. They both are eating so well though, and were discharged with us only down 2 ounces each from their birth weights.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and support. God has truly blessed us and we thank him every day for this special gift.

I can't WAIT to wear a belt again....

2008-02-25T11:57:00.000-08:00

The other day as I was getting ready to run errands I opened my closet and began to cry. I cried for many reasons, and in no particular order I've become frustrated with being pregnant: only two pair of pants that are comfortable anymore, the pain in my back, hips and sides; the constant numbness and tingling in my finger tips, the inability to put on socks or fasten shoes, not finding a comfortable sleeping position, pinched nerves below my stomach where the babies are resting among other things. I'm also anticipating the day when I can do the following:

Wear pants with a zipper!
Wear a shirt that I can tuck in.
Put on heals, tall boots, strappy sandals....
Not have to wear a belly band.
and lastly, wear a belt again!!

Friday Feb 22 Doctors/Ultrasound Update

2008-02-24T17:00:00.000-08:00

We had our last twin growth ultrasound on Friday. It's purely measurements to determine weight, percentile and differential. The girl is 6 pds 1 oz. and the boy is 5 pds 11 oz, so their differential is 5% which is great. They look for less than 20% in twins. So, with almost 12 pounds of baby in me the question is....when?? Not soon enough, there has been no change in my dilation and contractions come and go, but never stay long enough. I will have only one week left, and then I will be scheduled to be induced. Sometime around March 3rd or 4th. We'll keep you posted and check out the hospital links as well.

Soon...but not yet.

2008-02-17T13:46:00.000-08:00

Friday's doctors appointment brought about some good news. I'm 2 cm dilated and 75% effaced. My doctor said that could mean this weekend, a week or two. So, Friday afternoon I started having contractions. I was to busy working to really think about timing them, I wanted to make sure my shared site was updated in case I were to go in no one would have any questions where I was at. About 5:30 I decided to start timing them, they were coming 6 minutes then 5 minutes apart. The longest one lasted 45 seconds, so I decided to call the hospital to see what they thought. They had me come in so we got there around 7:30pm and I was hooked up to 3 monitors (one for each babies hearbeat, one to measure the contractions). It's amazing to see the contractions register on the screen, like looking at Mt. Hood. We were there for a couple of hours with constant contractions so she checked me again and I was still at 2 cm, nothing happening. Since we live so close to the hospital she decided I could go home to rest and the contractions were starting to space out. One more hour and it was official, I was going home. But not empty handed, the wonderful doctor gave me an Ambien so I could get some sleep which I have not had in probably 3 months. The contractions were gone, came back for about an hour Saturday afternoon during the symphony and are gone again. We are truly hoping it will be anytime now as I'm pretty miserable. And we are so excited to meet our son and daughter.

We'll keep you posted. The hospital I'm delivering at is St. Vincent's hospital. We've added a link to the web nursery and the hospital on the right. We hope and pray you'll be seeing the Mathiesen twins there soon!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-17T08:39:00.000-08:00

Jon took me to a really nice, romantic dinner for Valentine's Day. It's so nice to get out these last few weeks and enjoy our time together. It will be soon. Here's the latest belly picture.

Toes

2008-02-13T19:33:00.000-08:00

When you're pregnant and can't do your toes anymore, it's a great idea to get a little pampering and have regular pedicures! That's what I've been doing for the past few months and it's so nice. This last time I decided to have a little fun with it and have her paint my toes pink and blue. You'll notice the left foot starts with a blue toe, because that's what side the boy is on and the girl is on the right. I figure I must enjoy this now because after the babies are born I'm not sure when I would have time to go get a pedicure, let alone try to do them on my own at home.

Happy 40th Birthday Jon!!

2008-01-29T16:24:00.001-08:00

On January 11th Jon turned 40. It's so hard to believe because he looks so amazingly young. On Saturday we went up to Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood with another couple to go skiing. (I should say they skiied, I hung out in the lodge all day). We then celebrated with dinner in the Cascade dining room there which was an unbelievable meal. The couple we were with had just gotten engaged at Christmas so we had a double celebration. Here's a picture of us after walking into the lodge through the blowing snow and freezing temperatures. Just to give you an idea, the base is 149" and there has been 416" of total snow fall to date. It's been an incredible season up there. It was great for Jon to get out and do something he truly enjoy's on his birthday weekend. Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!!

Ultrasound/Dr. Update from January 25th

2008-01-29T16:12:00.000-08:00

Last Friday brought the monthly ultrasound for twin growth. We are very pleased to tell you that they are 4 lbs 2 oz (girl) and 4 lbs 1 oz (boy) each. They are still both head down which is good news, heart rates are still strong at approx 140 bpm each. Things are getting crowded in there for them, it's getting harder for the techs to get some of the views, but they seem to make them move. My doctor said everything looks great and if I could hold out for 4 more weeks....her exact words "keep my legs crossed". She's going to be a great doctor in the delivery room because I love her humor which will help so much. Had more blood drawn for some base line tests. My latest "ailment" is that I now have carpel tunnel from the swelling in my wrists and hands around certain nerves. Another normal part of a multiple pregnancy, but it doesn't feel good when it wakes you up in the middle of the night. I've found typing to be easier than writing though, and unfortunately when we were going to bed last night I went to pick up my water glass and spilled it all over because I couldn't grip it. Here are new pictures.

My Pod Has Two Peas

When I Grow Up!

Team Loyalty

Noun or Verb?

Strawberry Picking

Genesis 1

Resourcefulness

Story Time

Worship!

Theological Question?

What's a Bieber?

Off-off Broadway

A Visit To Santa!

The Littlest Evangelist

Improv

Fall Catch-Up

Fashion Week

Conversations from the Week

We're on a 1st Name Basis

Modesty

Manzanita Weekend(s)!

Jesus Loves Me

Homonymism

Food Critics

Happy Independence Day!

Toddler Beds

Veggie Tales

Jingle Bells.....

Happy 2nd Birthday to Addison and Samuel!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sunriver

Manners

"Modeling" gone wrong

Happy Birthday to Jon!!

Addison and Samuel.....Unplugged!

A B C's

Happy Halloween!

The Pumpkin Patch!

Coming out of the Fog

Samuel Loves to Hide!

Addison Singing and Eating Linguine

Bubbles and Animals

Eating Corn!

Lots of Giggles

Adi!

Samuel Walking

The Cat Says.....

A Fork for Every Meal

15 Months Old!

Hi!

Raspberries!

Things Heard Around Our House These Days

Addison Goes for a Walk

Addison Loves to Dance!

Happy 1st Birthday Addison and Samuel!!

Where's Samuel?

Merry First Christmas Addison and Samuel

Catching Up!

Pulling Herself Up

Baby Dedication

Eight Months Old

Family Day

The Great Pumpkin!

Chicago Marathon 2008

Hiking with the Women of Pearl

H2C

Tags

6 Months Old

Thumb Wrestling!

Happy 5 Month Birthday!

mmmmm.....cereal!

Pictures with Family and Friends

First Airplane Ride

Happy 4 Month Birthday

Our New Baby!

Happy Independence Day!

Our Chatterbox

Happy 3 Month Birthday!

A Case of Mistaken Identity!

My First Mother's Day!