WEARING DADDY'S 18 MONTH OUTFIT

A few years ago, Nick's mom, Carolyn, found an old outfit of Nick's when he was a boy and passed it on to us. It fit on a teddy bear we had so I had the bear wearing it, looking so adorable. Recently I took the outfit off and saw that it is an 18 month outfit. Just the perfect size now to put on boys and take some photos! I'm thankful we didn't miss the opportunity for them to wear it for a while!

Carolyn had embroidered by hand, "Nick" on the back of the sweatshirt. About 31 years later and it's still in great condition!

Close-up of embroidery. Nice work, Carolyn!


How amazing to think a tiny little Nick ran around in this adorable little outfit. And how his boys can wear it! Awwww...just melts this momma's heart!!!!

Doesn't Eli look like a little future Olympian?


Maybe he'll give up his favorite blankie before the Olympics. :)


When you look good and feel good, you can build very high towers! Will is proof!


"Enough photos already!"


A backwards wave from Will.

SPINNING, DIZZINESS, AND FALLING

Spinning is fun! Eli and Will do this very often. And of course they love all Journey songs!! Hilarious!

Click on video:

FROZEN DAYCARE

We got our bill in the mail last week from Reprotech in Minneapolis. That is where our 8 precious little embabies (embryos) are being stored until we need them. It's like frozen daycare!

It costs $400 per year to keep your embryos frozen there. At first we thought that seemed a little expensive, but then we realized that if you really think about it, it's actually a heck of a deal.

If you do the math, it costs less than 14 cents per day per baby!

WOW!

A little over $1 per day to keep our 8 babies safe for a whole 24 hours.

Pretty affordable daycare actually.

I wonder if they'd babysit Elijah and Will for a few days. :)

PRAYERS FOR ANOTHER FRIEND

My heart aches as yet another friend of mine had an early miscarriage on Monday after a round of IVF. I wish I could take away the pain for Melanie and her husband, Tom. I wish I had the answers. I pray that God gives them peace and comfort during this heartbreaking time. Give them the strength to keep moving forward and to trust in God's timing and plan for their family. As their arms are still empty, give them hope for the future. A future where they will be a mommy and daddy, full of joy with a child they can call their own.

Nestled in God’s Arms
The Lord loves little ones
And keeps them safe and warm
In a special place in Heaven
Nestled in His arms.
The Lord placed the tiny babes
To grow in a mother’s womb
And if He calls them home before their birth
He must have them a special room.
I have not yet seen Heaven
But I know our God above
Will take special care of tiny ones
And surround them with His love.
So do not fret or mourn
For the tiny soul set free
But look forward to a reunion
That will last eternally.
- Thena Smith

THREE HANDSOME VALENTINES

My BIG Valentine:

My LITTLE Valentines:


Happy Valentines Day! ♥

Just as I posted last year: I'm not a big Valentine's Day person. I don't really make a big deal out of it or expect anything, especially as I get older. I'd rather tell someone how much they mean to me on any other random day out of the year when it's not expected, and many more times than just once.

There are many different kinds of love and I think Valentine's Day should celebrate all of those much beyond that mushy, mushy, romantic love. So Happy Valentine's Day to everyone in my life. And even though I don't have the means or time to individually tell each one of you, please know you are loved in some form or another. And I am blessed to have you in my life!

And let's not forget the best Valentine of all: Jesus!

"But because of his great LOVE for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:4-5

I hope you have a wonderful day celebrating all of those you love!

My three handsome Valentines...


I adore these wonderful men in my life!


Will and Nick


Eli and Nick

17 MONTHS OLD

Peek-a-boo, I'm Eli and am writing this blog post today.


I know it's absolutely hard to believe, but Will and I are 17 months old today! Mommy said we're are getting old enough to start helping her out with the blog, so here's my first attempt!

We are getting bigger and learning new things every day. I weigh 23 pounds 10 ounces and Will now weighs 23 pounds 3 ounces. I think I'm bigger because I usually eat a lot more then Will. He eats nice and slow and I like to chow down fast! And I am a whole minute older than him, so I should be bigger, right? Otherwise I wouldn't be the BIG brother!

Why use two chairs when we can both cuddle together in one?


My baby brother, Will, is a big climber and is now climbing up onto everything and even moving chairs around to use to climb onto higher things. You're probably wondering why I haven't started copying him yet. Well, the jokes on you. Because even though I'm not the one climbing, I'm the one who figured it out and told Will how to do it. You can say that I'm the "thinker" and Will's the "do-er". :)

Here's a photo of Will wearing our cousin Cora's sunglasses. He loves those things!


Mommy wanted me to tell you that both Will and I are starting to say more words. We also like to make animal noises and can bark like a dog, roar like a bear, hoot like an owl, and say "oooh oooh ah ah" like a monkey! We also do sign language for "more" very often. We like to use it for any situation where we want something, so basically when we sign "more" it can mean: please, more, help, I want that, etc.

Being 17 Months old wears us out!


Well, I have to get back to playing. It's what I do best. Hope you all have a wonderful day.

Love,
Elijah

NAP TIME?

Ummm...it's supposed to be nap time. But from the sounds coming out of the nursery, either monkeys have invaded or else those two little turds are speaking their top secret twin language to each other. All I know for sure is that there's not much sleeping going on in there. ;)

WHAT YOU CAN GET DONE IN 30 MINUTES WITHOUT YOUR KIDS

Saw this on facebook tonight and busted out laughing. Like, full out SNORT laugh. FUNNY!! So true it is.

The photo wouldn't save big enough, so click on the link below:

WHAT YOU CAN GET DONE IN 30 MINUTES WITHOUT YOUR KIDS


.

TWO TO LOVE

TWO years ago today, on February TWO, 2010, I knew it would either be one of the happiest days of my life...or another devastating disappointment.

But after over 3 years of waiting and praying, I heard the TWO simplest and most beautiful words I've ever heard in my life.

1. You're
2. Pregnant

Even though I had to hear it over the phone from a nurse at the Mayo Clinic, it was still all "TWO" magical.

Read more about that day in these TWO old blog posts:

Today Is The Day

The Day We've Dreamed Of


And then we'd wait 24 more days, at our first ultrasound, to see if there was one or TWO babies. :)


(Apparently there was TWO!)

"There's two to wash, There's two to dry;
There's two who argue, There's two who cry.
One's in the mud, Having a ball;
The other holds a crayon... Another marked wall.
Some days seem endless, My patience grows thin.
Why did God choose me To be a mother of twins?
The answer comes clear- At the end of the day,
As I tuck them in bed And to myself I say...
There's two to kiss, There's two to hug;
And best of all, Thank You, God, for two to love."

PEEK-A-BOO

The boys really enjoy putting things on their heads.

Thankfully, we do keep all plastic bags out of reach. :)

This may stem from the fact that they LOVE a good game of "Peek-A-Boo." They will pull blankets, towels, etc. over their heads all by themselves. And the double giggles I hear is the sweetest sound.





None of these photos were staged! Just two boys being silly!


Elijah


Will


Don't worry, the diapers were clean ones...

TODDLERS: What's mine is mine and what's yours is mine!

Before the twins were born, people would tell me that having twins is awesome because the boys will have an instant playmate. It's not like having one baby that you, as a parent, have to entertain yourself because they don't have anyone else to play with. This excited me! Woo hoo!! Another benefit of having twins over a singleton. And yeah, it made sense. I thought, "Sweet!! I'll barely have to watch them. They'll just play nicely with each other while I relax on the couch eating my bonbons, reading a book." Okay, so I knew it wouldn't be THAT easy, but I did think it'd be a little easier than what it is right now.

Maybe I'm naive or just plain stupid, but I thought "instant playmate" meant sweet little twins playing ever so gently and politely with each other while laughing and giggling all day long. Oh, how wrong I was. Eli and Will as instant playmates are more like instant criminals! (But way super cute little criminals!)

Yes, there are those special sweet times. And it's so adorably precious when they play together so sweetly! But it seems like lately, there's much more of this: grunting, crying, and screaming. It's more of a "tackle each other, bite each other, and steal toys right out of each other's hands no matter what it is and run off as fast as they can screaming thinking they have surely conquered the world" playing. I swear that even now at only 16 months of age, they are communicating behind my back, planning these conspiracies to drive me absolutely nuts. Yes, they ARE criminals!

I also thought that with having two at the same time that they'd learn to share a little faster and easier. Wishful thinking, I guess. Cause then I picture what it'd be like to have only one baby who didn't have to fight with anyone. I bet it'd be a lot calmer and quieter! I suppose even though it's rough now, it will pay off for the future. They will know how to share easier in the long run. Right?

And there's not even any SITTING on the couch for me, yet alone laying on the couch! No bonbon eating. :( (Ya know, I have never even had a bonbon. Are they really that delicious?) Anyway, if I sit on the couch, the twins want up to too. Which would be just fine if they would sit there, but all they want to do is stand up. Every time they do, I picture them falling over the back of the couch to their death. Not very relaxing, let me tell you.

I know they are toddlers and it's normal because they are learning and testing their boundaries...blah, blah, blah. But is it really too much of me to ask that they grow out of it and learn to share and be gentle with each other right now!? HA HA!! Or is this just a boy thing too? If so, oh my, I am really in for some interesting years.

I was warned that boys can be rough, as in "a little more physically active." Yeah, that's the nice way to put it. But, the whole wrestling thing really thrown me for a loop, I didn't think that would happen at least until they were 2 years old. But Will sure knows how to tackle Eli. It looks like he's really trying to pin him! Where did he learn that? Just natural instinct, perhaps. (Although, it is pretty funny and usually Elijah just giggles, so it can be pretty darn cute to watch those little wrestlers!)

In case you couldn't tell from reading, being a mother of multiples really sucks the life out of me some days and needless to say, 7:30pm (the boys' bedtime) is a very welcomed time around here. But I know no matter how hard some days may be, I'll make it through. One day at a time.

I wouldn't change my life. It may not be perfect, but it's my life. A life with my two precious miracles who drive me nuts from time to time, but I love them with my whole heart. Thank you, God, for this beautiful gift!


The phrase, "What's mine is mine and what's yours is mine!" is really apparent in the Vincelli house lately! And here's a toddler poem that captures it so perfectly...


THE TODDLER CREED
by Dr. Burton L. White

If I want it,
IT'S MINE!

If I give it to you and change my mind later,
IT'S MINE!

If I can take it away from you,
IT'S MINE!

If it's mine it will never belong to anybody else,
No matter what.
If we are building something together,
All the pieces are mine!

If it looks just like mine,
IT'S MINE!

If it breaks or needs putting away,
IT'S YOURS!

LITTLE BOOKWORMS

Elijah and Will LOVE to read. And I mean love, lOvE, LOVE!! It is so precious!

They've always enjoyed books, but for the last two months, they have been all about BOOKS! These photos were all taken in December and January.

I must clarify that they don't necessarily like us reading to them. If we try to hold them and read a book, most often they don't want anything to do with it. But they do love holding books and paging through them on their own. Usually I just end up reading aloud a different book while they are looking at their own books. Oh well, whatever works! :)



This was their favorite reading nook during December. Nested in all the pillows and stuffed animals we keep between these two chairs. They loved to snuggle up in here and read together. Sometimes I would be cleaning up from snack or lunch and suddenly it'd be very quiet. (Which you know is never a good sign.) But then I'd find them either playing quietly or reading in their little nook. So adorable!!


Our sweet little bookworms


But after Christmas, we moved the chair back to where the tree was. So their favorite nook disappeared.

So now their new favorite place to read is in their new chairs from Ikea. They look like such little boys (not babies!) in their chairs. (Those chairs are AWESOME and we highly recommend them. Plus they will be able to grow into them and use them for years and years to come!)



Here are the boys the next morning after they got the chairs. The first thing they did was grab a book and climbed up on their chairs to read!


Lately they've even been pulling up their blankets on them while they read. They are so sweet together. What little men!











They read in their jammies...


They read with clothes on...


Sometimes they read in the nude...



and sometimes with extra clothes on...
(Elijah was really upset when we took off his vest to put his pj's on. So, we put his vest on over his pj's and he was content. Looks like we might have a little fashionista on our hands.)


Sometimes they read while getting their diaper changed on the changing pad!


And they've even been spotted sitting on top of books while reading books. :)


Notice all the books surrounding them. They read a lot of books. Now if they would just learn how to put the books back nicely instead of tossing them to the floor!

THING 1 AND THING 2

Thing 1 and Thing 2 can drive me absolutely crazy. And I mean, really really crazy.

But then times like this make it all worthwhile...

HYPER BOYS BEFORE BED

This happened on January 17th.

I assure you that I did not give them any sugar.

Just two hyper boys before bed.

Nick counted and Will circled the kitchen island 14 times. Wow, what a workout!

Here's the funny video:





Here's a photo of Will right after. I found him laying down on the kitchen floor reading the same book he was carrying around in the video. Precious boy!


And a photo of Elijah. He calmed down by reading a book too! Love those little book lovers!