Mirror Images and Walking

So, we are finally seeing the reason behind the ultra saturated-with-drool clothing that has been happening lately. And we discovered something interesting about it along the way.

Ryan and Nathan are both getting a top tooth in--finally. You'd think by 14 months they'd have a full mouth of choppers. Nope. Just the bottom two and now one on top. It's interesting to note, though, that Ryan's tooth on top is on the left side and that Nathan's tooth is coming in on the right side. How crazy is that?

Ryan's top tooth coming in on the left (sorry about the boogie in the nose)

Nathan's top tooth coming in on the right (it looks like I'm inflicting pain on these boys but I'm not:)

I guess it's true how people have been telling me that identical twins often mirror each other in certain aspects (one parts hair on left side, one on right; one rights with right hand, other with left; etc...) It'll be fascinating to see if this carries on as the boys get older. I've been watching to see if one twin will be a lefty and one will be right handed, but I think it's too early to tell. They still switch on and off quite frequently.

Anyway, speaking of changes, the boys have officially started walking! Ryan actually started about 2 weeks ago, and Nathan is now wanting to try it out. It's so cute to see these guys cruise around the house. They are getting really good at it!

Ryan

Nathan being a little bit more hesitant about it

Good job, buddies, on all of the advancements you're making. We love you and are proud of you (x2)!!

So That's What It's Like...

Last night we had the missionaries over for dinner. We had a nice time visiting, but then came time for them to go. They asked for a ride to their next appointment (apologetically, I might add, because Ben was the only one that could drive them due to mission rules and the missionaries could clearly tell that I needed Ben's help at that point.) There were dinner dishes to clean up and it was bedtime for the kids as they were showing it big time. Addie was huddled up next to me because she had fallen and gotten hurt, Nathan was hanging onto me because he was ultimately just plain ol' tired and Ryan (thankfully) was cruising around the house with his little walker. Out of desperation, I said, "Do you mind taking Nathan with you?" "Nope, I don't mind." (BLESS YOU, my dear sweet husband). So Ben grabbed Nathan, walked out the door with the missionaries, and I got busy cleaning up dinner dishes (as soon as Addie was okay to let me let her go).


Ryan saw that I had the dishwasher open and came crawling over (the twins think this means an invitation to come and pull everything out and onto the floor. What good helpers they are!) and Addie became interested in looking at pictures that were sitting on the table. Ryan saw a clean, empty sippy cup and its lid and began the task of putting the lid on the cup. This kept him entertained for quite some time. Addie was sitting quietly at the table, Ryan was busily working, and for one brief moment in time, I stopped. I stopped and realized that this is what it would be like to have only two children. Now mind you, it's not that I don't love my children and not that I don't think twins are the cutest thing ever, but I thought to myself, 'I could totally do this.' I know it wouldn't always be calm with just two children in the house, but the intensity level seemed to decrease by one million just because one baby was gone with sweet hubby (I heart you!) Wow. It was the most amazing feeling.


Sometimes in the craziness of having 3 children in a time span of 26 months, I often wonder what it would be like to have experienced it the way that most people do. One baby at a time. That I will never truly know. With twins, one plus one does not equal two. The degree of difficulty and intensity becomes exponential (remember learning about that stuff LONG TIME AGO?) And it is truly only something that one can understand if they have been through it/are going through it. I often hear people tell me: "I have two kids that are only 16 months apart so I totally know what you're going through." Sorry. Nope, ya don't. Not even close. But I guess that it DOES mean that our happinesses and joys are exponentialized (is that a word?), too. And for that I am grateful because we have some crazy good times at our house.
So, to sum up this whole experience for me that happened within a mere 2 minutes, I decided that I love my children with all my heart (always have), wouldn't want things to be any other way, but that I will be having Ben take trips with just one baby more often. Usually I send Addie with him and the twins stay home with me, but that experience last night put a whole new perspective on things.
Ryan, your turn with daddy is next.

What do you get when 3 Mormon families find out there is unlimited FREE CORN in Greeley, Colorado?

2000 EARS later...


(The baby corn asks his mama corn: Where do baby corns come from? Mama says "I told ya before, the stalk brought ya.")

THAT'S RIGHT!! FREE CORN was what it was. Whatever you could gather and take home with you from the church farm in Colorado. So that's what we did! The Petersons, Gridleys, and Webers all piled into my dad's classy 15 seater van at 6:30am and headed out for Greeley. (DARN IT, I stayed home with the twins because they can't walk yet and it wouldn't have been fun for ANY of us if they had come, now would it?).

(Two corn cobs were walking downtown and the first cob noticed that they were being followed by another strange cob everywhere they went. The first cob whispered to the second cob, "Don't look know but I think we are being followed by a stalker.")

SO THE TACTIC WAS to gather as many ears of corn in a laundry basket as possible, bring the full basket to the 'shucking' spot-where all ears were shucked of their husks-and then go out and get more ears of corn until your poor body aches so much that you can't move, OR until you get so sick of looking at corn that you never want to see another kernel in your entire lifetime.

(How is an ear of corn like an army? It has lots of kernels.)

This gathering and shucking process went on til about noon and then it was back to Cheyenne where more fun was in store. How many ears were gathered, you ask? Well, how about 2000? Which equaled 50 white garbage bags full of 30 ears of corn. Now, no one (in their right mind) can eat that much fresh corn before it goes bad, so the next job was to get all of those little hairs off the corn that really can be quite annoying (especially when you're dealing with 2000 ears!), blanch the corn for 2 minutes, immediately dump the corn in cold water and let it sit there for a few minutes, then take the ear of corn out and cut off the corn from the cob, then bag the corn, label it, and stick it in the freezer.

What did the farmer say when he picked up the corn? "Aw, shucks!"

That's a lot to do. Thank goodness there were lots of us to help (I came out to help after everyone got back from Greeley. Don't think I completely took the easy way out:) So we assigned jobs to make it easier: 1)The hair remover: Bruce and Jacob. 2)The cooker: Mary, Joseph, and I even helped with that one. 2) The cooler: Hannah. 3) The shaver: Ben, Jacob, Hannah and myself. 4) The bagger: my dad, me, and Joseph. Where is my mom in all of this you may ask--she just so happened to be conveniently out of town that weekend. Sorry mom, you really missed a good time :0) In all fairness to her, though, she was helping Rachel's family move into their new home so she was busy busy in Tennessee instead of Wyoming.

What did the baby corn say to the mom corn? Where is my pop corn?!

By about 4pm, everyone was really getting tired, but we weren't even close to being done. The twins were even helping (see center photo of collage) but to no avail, those bags of corn just NEVER seemed like they were going away. Finally, with persistance and the evening hours upon us, we ended our corn plight at 8pm. That was a 14 hour day and we really didn't stop unti it was over!!

What do old people and farmers have in common? They’ve both got corns!

So, anyone want some corn? We officially have 200 quart size baggies in the freezer full of corn. I'm thinking we won't need to be doing this next year. Whadoyathink?

How much does it cost to buy corn from a pirate? A buck an ear!

(Hope you enjoyed the 'corny' jokes. Just thought I'd 'shuck' those in there!)

Keep Warm, Little Doggie...

Ok, so today Addie was carrying around a little stuffed animal doggie. She was saying that she needed a blankie for her doggie so that it wouldn't get cold. How sweet of her to think of her freezing cold puppy and a way to keep it warm. That's my girl.. Always thinking of others...
Anyway, the next thing I knew she had her puppy all wrapped up and cozy in a soft, little blankie. And when I looked closely, I could NOT believe what I saw.

It's a PAD!! A Kotex pad with wings!! Where in the world did she come up with that?? And how did she even know where to find one, how to unwrap it, and then wrap it around her sweet doggie friend? I KNOW I didn't teach her that!

Now it's not the same kind of blankie that you might think of when wanting to keep someone/something cozy, but I think it's an amazing contraption for a little pooch that needs some warmth. I have to say, I am quite proud of my little girl for thinking of this one...

Addie was worried about one side getting her dog all sticky, but she got over it when she realized that the 'sticky' wasn't going to come off and that this little blankie really was quite the perfect fit for her pooch. Plus, the 'stick', along with the beautiful side wings, actually keep the doggie in tight and secure. Little poochy definitely is not going anywhere!


Way to go, Addie. You gave mom and dad a really good laugh today. We love it when you do that... And here's to a long and cozy life for a little doggy that got all wrapped up today in a comfortable Kotex pad (with wings).

WII Did It

So wii finally broke down and bought one. And the best part about it was, I surprised Ben throughout the whole process. He has been wanting one forever and I just kept thinking that wii didn't need one--wii really didn't need one. Becca, "I need a wii" he would say week after week. "Well, that's fine," I would say. Wii've got three in our house for you to choose from. (Let me know if you don't get this joke). I guess it's not always about what wii need, now is it?

Well..GOTCHA, babe! (He really didn't have any idea that I was pulling off a stunt as cool as this one). Aren't I a tricky, clever girl? Honestly, I didn't think I would give in to this one, but it was so fun to surprise my guy. Admittedly, he's as happy as a clam right now.

Well, I'm off to bowl. Anyone wanna join? I've got an extra wiimote for you!!

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SOLD!!

As of August 28, 2008, we have officially sold our first home! (well, condo). Ben and I bought this condo in North Orem, Utah right before we got married and moved in together after the honeymoon. This was our first dwelling place together and will forever hold a special place in my heart. I did enjoy living in the Stonebrook condos--all 1100 square feet of it--and made some dear friends there that I will never forget.


We made a few improvements. When we moved in, there was wallpaper plastered everywhere. We ripped that off and repainted.

We also installed look-a-like hardwood flooring in the entry way, kitchen and dining area that gave it a little facelift as well.


We spent many a night out here playing games, talking and enjoying our neighbor's company by the basketball hoop. Living in a condo was truly like glorified college days, except with the perk of being married. You still get together with friends all of the time, you see people coming and going every day, and your back yard is a million other people's backyards as well. Good times.

We welcomed our firstborn into this condo. Adelaide Gridley spent the first 2 years of her life here (although I'm sure she'll never remember it:)

we were so young back then!

I have to say that we did sell this condo "For Sale by Owner" which ended up being great for us. And now we have some extra change in our pocketbook. That's not too shabby.

GOODBYE STONEBROOK CONDOS!! WE WILL MISS YOU! (Can't say that I'd ever want to move back in, though. Especially after living in a home!)

Nate-O Potato...Whatever Shall I Do With You??

So I thought I had things all under control--Nathan and Ryan were playing with Addie in her bedroom. Perfect time to slip away and take a quick shower before the hectic day gets any further away from me--so I thought. I told Addie I was leaving to go shower and she knows to TRY to kinda keep things under control for me until I get out. I quickly went to my bathroom, closed the door behind me and hopped in for a moment of peace. I hadn't been in the shower for longer than 3 minutes, and I hear the bathroom door slowly open. What? How did that happen? I thought I closed the door!! It must not have latched completely. Anyway, in crawls Nathan with Ryan in tow not far behind. Oh no. Now what? I wasn't finished with my shower so I just decided to hurry it up a bit. Maybe they wouldn't decide that they wanted to see what was behind the green curtain. Guess I was wrong. Nathan couldn't wait for that.

All of a sudden, Nathan starts to crawl into the shower! Now this would have been fine if he had his swimming trucks and a swim diaper on, but no. He still had his diaper and jammies on! And you know what happens when a diaper gets wet!

So Nathan, fully clothed, is now officially showering with me. I didn't know quite what to do. Should I stop and get him out? But then I'd have to go through all of the changing of clothes and new diaper, etc., and didn't want to deal with that until I was done with my shower and had gotten dressed.

Well, I let him stay in the shower. Just didn't want to deal with the screaming that would come if I tried to get him out. Luckily Ryan wasn't as adventurous today as Nathan was or we would have had a REAL BIG party in the shower. Addie was being so cute and trying to referee Nathan from getting out of the shower and trying to keep Ryan from going in. "Buddies, no. No, buddies. Come out, Nathan. No, Ryan." So cute.

We eventually finished and got everything under control, but I didn't quite get the calm, peaceful shower that I was hoping for this morning. Oh well, good thing I get to try again tomorrow...

I couldn't keep from smiling at these little people that love to discover and explore. What fun it is to have them around, blessing my life and adding joy to my day.

I love you Nathan, Ryan, and Addie!

Life is Beautiful...

3 years, 2 months, and 2 days old and still taking an afternoon nap at the same time as her younger brothers. I'm lovin' it!

CALLED TO SERVE

The long awaited day has arrived. My brother Joseph received his mission call last night (after 3 weeks of waiting!) He has been called to serve in the Mexico Monterrey East Mission and will report to the missionary training center on December 31, 2008.

Congratulations, Elder Peterson! We love you and are so proud of you! Here's some pix that I could find of Joseph over the years. He's definitely grown from boy to man and it's time for him to get out there and testify!

that's Joe on the right--2004, my wedding

St. George family vacation-2005--Angel's Landing (he's the brother on the right)

Joe with Addie in Cabela's (Lehi, Utah) 2006

Joe performing a Tim Tam Slam at our annual family camp out--summer 2008

I Have a Feeling...

Ok, so I was talking to someone the other day about my recent blog post, and they said that people might not understand why I did this whole 'Ode to Boppy' thing (as clever as I thought I was being, maybe some didn't quite catch on.) So I thought I would clarify...

For the last year I have used this precious boppy to breastfeed my twins. Now this is significant because:
A) Most twin moms don't breastfeed
B) Even more can't make it to a year for whatever reason that may be (milk runs out, loss of patience/desire to breastfeed or breastfeed two at the same time for that matter)
C) Learning the 'art' of getting the boys on the boppy (it's actually called a Twin Nursing Pillow), getting situated, and getting over the immense back pain that this all brings as you sit in this position for up to 20-30 minutes is a TOUGH thing to do
D) There's really no other way to breastfeed twins at the same time besides doing it this way and some women just don't want the 'exposed' feeling that this brings (and believe me, it is an uncomfortable feeling at first!!)

So..I'm proud to say that we made it a whole year, using this boppy for every feeding, day in and day out. I would put those guys on there--one on each side, football hold style, and 'open up the milkbar'. When they were done, they would just roll off the sides and go along their way. I am also proud to say that out of the past year, only Nathan rolled off the boppy once and fell to the floor (and that happened just last week--he was way too quick for me to catch him. Poor guy! He's ok, though.)

do I look completely out of it or what?

So I did rummage up one picture of me in the hospital trying to breastfeed the boys at the same time (shield your eyes!) I didn't have the boppy pillow with me (what was I thinking? I couldn't have survived more than a day without it!) and what I had to end up doing was shove pillows under the babies' bodies to get them propped up enough to get to the milk. Crazy, I know. This is why I dedicated a whole post to the boppy. I truly couldn't have survived this past year without it! This was a pretty big accomplishment for me, especially since I thought that there would absolutely be NO way that I could survive doing it this way--and especially a whole year. I'd say that's something to be proud of. Don't you?

Anyway, if anyone is expecting twins or needs a coaching lesson on how to use one of these boppy's, I'd be glad to help. I'm officially an expert in the art of boppy-ing.

Ode to Boppy

My Dear Sweet Boppy, this post is for you:

Oh, how I have loved thee, dear boppy. Ever since you came into my life, we became instant friends and formed a bond that I thought could never be broken. We have literally been together night and day and you have been by my side through it all. You have seen me at my worst and have still been nonjudgmental. Thank you for being my comrade, companion, confidant, and friend.

Many others have wanted to be near you because of the welcoming feeling that you radiate. My husband has often rested his head on your 'shoulder' and you have never failed him. My daughter has played with you and has cuddled up to you time and time again. Thank you for providing such a nice soft touch to all that come near and for truly befriending everyone that you meet.


My twin boys have spent much time with you as well. They became quite attached to you and always wanted you near. You were there to bear them up and lighten their load. You carried them with ease and pleasure. Day in and day out, hour after hour, you gave of yourself without any thought of return. They, and I, thank you for that.


Sweet boppy, you weren't the most beautiful of things ever to grace the earth, but you surely knew how to get the job done. You became a part of me, and when I left home, I couldn't go anywhere without you. That is what having a true friend is all about.

How could I have survived the last year without you? I honestly couldn't have. Please remember the good times we've had because I most surely will. I didn't know quite how to break the news to everyone that it was time to start letting you go. But deep in all of our hearts, we knew this time would eventually come--even on that first day when we came together. They took it hard for a few days, but as time marches on, the memories slowly are packed away with a precious bow--never to be forgotten. Every now and then, we will recall our time with you as a deliciously savored morsel and our love for you, dear boppy, will always remain strong. Always.

Thank you for seeing it through this past year with me, with us. Through all of the ups and downs, you remained firm and steadfast. Ode to dear boppy. We will miss you.

As of August 12, 2008, the Gridley Family and Dear Sweet Boppy have officially parted ways...

BROKEN HEARTED

So Ben has been taunting me FOREVER about cutting the boys' hair. This is always the conversation that we have: "Becca, I'm cutting the boys' hair. It's time. Their hair is so scraggly and hangs over their ears. They have these curls that are so long and it's just time to cut them off." "No, Ben," I always say. "They are still babies. They are adorable babies with adorable curls. Don't you dare touch them. I'll be so sad. Why do you care so much anyway? Just let them have those cute natural curls for as long as possible. PLEASE!" Well, this conversation has gone on for quite some time now.

he honestly can't tell me that these curls are not absolutely ADORABLE

And so the other night when I went out to run errands and Ben says (as I'm walking out the door), "I'm going to cut the boys' hair!", I say "don't you dare" and think that there would be no way that he would actually follow through with something that he has been talking about for the longest time. Why would he do it now, especially knowing how much I DIDN'T want him to? I enjoyed my time away, thinking that Ben had things totally and completely under control at home. Well, when I walked in the door, everything was quite, the boys were in bed, and Ben was downstairs relaxing in front of the TV. I went down and thanked Ben for getting the boys in bed and then noticed that he had this huge smile on his face. Little did I know what was coming right at me.

"Becca, go look upstairs on the counter!" "Oh, Ben, you got me a treat. You shouldn't have," I teased. "No, Bec, really. Go look upstairs on the counter." Ok, did he clean the counter? Do the dishes? Buy something (he's been wanting a Nintendo Wii for forever, too). It's not our anniversary yet. Not my birthday. It's not mother's day or any other day that's out of the ordinary. So what's this big deal about looking at the counter? I halfheartedly walked back up the stairs and started looking for something on the counter, not really knowing quite what to expect. Low and behold, there in front of my eyes in a small plastic baggie, was something that I was not prepared to see. A lock of beautiful golden-blond curls were sitting there in front of me, neatly placed in a baggie, waiting for my next scrapblooking adventure (whenever that might be).

('8-7-08. Nathan's 1st haircut. Ben did this against my wishes')

Needless to say, my heart literally began to break. I ran back downstairs to Ben and asked, "How could you? Ben, my heart is breaking." "Bec, I told you that I was going to cut their hair. Be grateful I only cut one of them. I figured I get to do what I want with one of the boys, and you can do what you want with the other." I then asked him which of the twin's hair was cut. He told me that I'd have to find out in the morning when they woke up. He just grabbed whichever baby was closest to him at the time and started in on the clippers. I couldn't believe it. I didn't know whether to cry, scream, laugh, or beat Ben up (not really).

I did not have a good sleep that night. Come to think of it, one of the babies cried out in the night, too. I bet it's because he knew his beautiful locks of curls had been chopped off that night. How sad.

I did think that Ben had probably gotten ahold of Ryan. Ryan has more curls and his hair tends to get more fro-like than Nathan's does. Well, when the little buddies woke up in the morning, this is what I beheld when I saw my dear sweet Nathan:


Ben has left me in a bind. Should I cut Ryan's hair to match Nathan's? (because, truly, they don't look like identical twins anymore). Or should I leave Ryan's hair the way it is (because I love his curls) and just be able to accept the fact that the boys look a little different, thanks to their darling father?

Ryan on left. Nathan on right.

Goodbye, my golden-lock-headed Nathan. We will miss those beautiful curls that adorned your precious head.

A special thanks goes out to all of you that voted NO or HECK NO on my recent poll. I truly appreciated your support and encouragement. (I'm still crying inside).

Happy First Birthday Little Buddies!

Wow. I can't believe we made it through the first year. I never thought we'd get this far. Here's a little recap of how things went just one year ago: I was 38 1/2 weeks pregnant and the doctor said that if the boys weren't here by August 2, 2007, he would take them out on that day. August 2nd came (despite many prayers and pleadings that I wouldn't have to have a scheduled appointment for delivery) and so we headed to the hospital at 5 am to get ready for the c-section. I would have liked to have tried a natural birth, but sweet Nathan was not cooperating. His little behind was wedged right up against the 'door'. All went well and before I knew it, Nathan Rex was born into this world at 7:08am, weighing a whopping 6 lbs. 14oz! But Ryan was not to be outdone by his brother. Ryan Steven was born at 7:09am, weighing in at an amazing 7 lbs. 8 oz. (which was 1 oz. bigger than Addie when she was born--and she came a week late!)

I was so out of it that I barely even knew that I was holding them in my arms

Proud Papa holding Nathan (I think) and Grammie holding Ryan

I just remember holding those little guys in my arms and sobbing--feeling so grateful that they got here safely but also scared to death about what lay before me. I had no idea how I was going to survive. One baby is hard enough--how on earth was I going to care for two at the same time (not to mention my 2 year old)? I prayed and prayed hard that the Lord would see me through this trial-but blessing-and that I would come out a stronger person having experienced all that comes with caring for twins and a toddler.

cute little Addie with the newest additions to our family

Well, the first 4-6 months were a blur. Caring for twins (and a toddler:) is honestly the hardest thing I can say I've ever done. But thankfully I had help for the first 3 months and then after that I just really had to trust that the Lord would help me get through each day. My mom kept telling me that this didn't have to be what I thought was a trial, but could become my 'magnum opus' if I let it. I didn't know what to think then but looking back have discovered that I achieved more than I thought I ever could. These boys are healthy, strong, happy, and are a great blessing to my life. We have many more years to come, but to think that we made it through one year--WOW. What a miracle and I wouldn't have it any other way.

back in the day when they used to be able to sleep in the same bassinet!

So Saturday was their official first birthday. We had family over to celebrate the special day with us.

wow, even in this photo it's hard to tell them apart. I think I've got Nathan on my right knee and Ryan on my left

We opened presents, which have turned out to be a hit.



We then went straight for the cake (which took way TOO long to make. Next time I'm just going to Albertsons and buying one. After about 8 combined hours between my mom and I, we decided it was just too much work. But hey, it's cute!)

in case you can't tell, it's a candy train, complete with engine and caboose!

Nathan

Ryan

We love these little guys and are so happy to have them in our home. They truly are a blessing.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LITTLE BUDDIES!!

(p.s. the current weights at one year are: Nathan--22 lbs. and Ryan--21 lbs. 12 oz. Way to go, Nathan, you finally caught up to and surpassed your younger brother!)