Here is our 2011 Vincelli Family Christmas Letter. We've definitely learned a lot this year, but here are our TOP 11!
The Top 11 Things We Learned in 2011
11. We love being parents and can survive the baby year of raising multiples! (And that what we read in a book is true, "When having two babies at the same time, the blessings are two-fold, but the bother is about ten or twenty times as great!")
10. It's really awesome for Nick to not have to travel out of town for work anymore. (For the first time in his career, since August, Dr. Nick is working in ONE place only, in the town where he lives! What a welcomed change and we are grateful to have even more time together. He is enjoying Horizon Eye Care here in Owatonna!)
9. Watching brothers play peek-a-boo with each other and play "put blankets over our heads, walk around, and run into furniture" is one of the cutest things in the world. (Bye bye babies, hello toddler twins! Elijah and Will are now 15 months old and are walking all over the place. Watch out world, the Vincelli twins are officially on the go!)
8. If you have multiples, you become an instant celebrity. Everyone knows you or stops to meet you. Therefore, allow at least 15 minutes leeway every time you are out in public because you will get stopped multiple times by gawkers, admirers, and people asking, "Are they twins?" (And we love it! Although, unfortunately it's usually the scariest people in the grocery store that want to touch your babies and then cough in their hands as they walk away.)
7. Flying with two five-month-olds is very doable, especially with prior planning and organization, which is our specialty. (We traveled to Palm Springs, California with Nick's parents and brother, Marc, to escape the snow in March. It was a wonderful trip!)
We also went on our annual Vincelli extended family golf trip up to Detroit Lakes, MN in August. (The twins aren't hooked on golf...YET!)
6. Sending the boys to daycare a few mornings a week really saves your sanity. (I am so blessed to be a stay-at-home mom. The boys keep me busy and in order to keep my online crafting business, Vincelli Designs & Decor ~ www.vincellidesigns.com ~ alive, for the past three months, I have brought the boys a few mornings a week to my friend, Sara's in-home daycare. Eli and Will love it there and enjoy playing with all the other kids. Naturally, one or the other has been sick at all times during the past three months. That's okay, they are building up their immunities, right?!)
5. A new camera is a great investment. (We take photos. A lot of photos. Okay, a TON of photos. We are enjoying our new Nikon camera that we got in September. As if we didn't take enough photos already, but now we can document even more of the boys' lives with better quality!)
4. Sleep is never overrated. (After 13 months of no sleep, we found enough courage to let the boys "cry it out" and as hard as it was, realized it was one of the best decisions we've made as parents! We are happy to report they go to sleep on their own without crying and usually sleep 12 hours straight through the night! Naps are usually a different story, but hey, let's focus on the positive...)
Drawing of Eli & Will (by Pastor Russell Alan Reed)
3. A family is never too big. (We have been blessed with two new beautiful nieces this year. Emma and Ryder are the newest additions on the Cox side. My parents went from 2 to 6 grandchildren in less than 1 year!)
Emma Lynn
Ryder Lullabell
2. Never get too comfortable. (Once you think you have babies figured out, it all changes. You finally get used to them crawling, then BAM, they're walking. They are doing great eating, then BAM, they decide they won't eat any type of fruit. They nap for two hours every afternoon, then BAM, they get sick and only nap 30 minutes any more. Okay, you get the idea...)
1. We have amazing family and friends, although this we already knew! (We are grateful and thankful for your support, guidance, and love.)
The Cox Family (at Ryder's Baptism)
Grandpa & Grandma Cox with their 6 grandchildren
The Vincelli Family (minus Ron & Carolyn)
Papa & Grammy Vincelli (with 3 of their 4 grandsons!)
But most of all, this year has been a YEAR OF CHANGE and a YEAR OF FIRSTS.
Seeing the joy and excitement through two sets of new eyes is amazing. This year has been full of many firsts for the boys and for us. We are truly grateful to be experiencing all of this as a family. Just like all families, we take great joy in those funny and happy moments among the utter chaos. Raising multiples isn't the easiest job. Raising any amount of children isn't an easy job. But we are learning a lot and keep pluggin' away.
Sometimes we are happy...
Sometimes we are sad...
Sometimes we are clean...
Sometimes we are dirty...
Sometimes we play nice and share...
Sometimes we wrestle and fight...
But through all the good times and the bad, we give thanks for all that we have and especially each other.
It's a twin thing:
Photos from their 10 month photo shoot: (by Julie Carrow)
Will & Elijah
Amy & Elijah
Amy & Will
Will Clarence
Will
Nick & Will
Nick & Elijah
Elijah Kinsley
Elijah
It's been a big year of changes as our preemie babies have grown to toddler boys. See how they've grown in just 15 months...
Newborn:
1 Month:
2 Months:
3 Months:
4 Months:
5 Months:
6 Months:
7 Months:
8 Months:
9 Months:
10 Months:
11 Months:
12 Months:
13 Months:
14 Months:
15 Months:
We praise God for another wonderful year of health and happiness. Remember the reason for the season. Happy Birthday, Jesus!!
God bless you and your family this Christmas and always.
In His Love,
The Vincelli Family
Nick, Amy, Elijah, & Will
And just in case you haven't seen enough of these adorable twins, (HA!) watch this video that I made full of photos of their first year of life for their 1st Birthday celebration in September.
