Five Months

Well, once again, I'm in utter disbelief that my little peaches are almost half a year old! Where has the time gone? In some ways, it feels like 5 minutes and in others, 5 years (we can't seem to shake this 4 am feeding). I must say, though, that I fall more and more in love with them every day. And if it's possible, they somehow get cuter and cuter everyday. Here are some things my little pretties have been up to:

Miss Sophie Kay:

Most often called: Soph, Sophaloaf, Sophielosha (Dad's preferred nickname)

I say this in a purely factual sense; this child is an angel baby. So much so, that when she cries, I'm desperately trying to figure out what is wrong because it happens so infrequently. I think she may have even forgotten how to cry. Which is good, because I'll move onto her feisty sister here in a minute. :) When she does cry, she squeels like a little pig which is so cute. The exception to when her crying happens, is a result of her most recent trick-rolling over from her back to tummy. Both girls started rolling over from tummy to back a little after 4 months, but Sophie is beating her sister in that she now does it both ways! She loves to do it so much, that she has started trying to do it in her sleep around 2:30 am the past several nights. That pesky arm sometimes gets in her way, resulting in a cry of frustration, and Mommy having to come to the rescue to turn her back over and keep her from rolling over again until she falls back asleep. Oy. Hopefully she'll get the hang of it soon and become a tummy sleeper?

She continues to babble and tries to suck on anything and everything in a 12 in. radius (hair, fingers, blankets, toys, sister's fingers). She also recently has become fascinated with her hands. I'll catch her holding them out in front of her, staring at them in amazement. It's hilarious.

And speaking of those hands, if you bend down close to her face, she will grab both of your cheeks with them. Melts my heart in a second.

She still gives us the most hysterical looks. If she gets scared, her eyes get HUGE. If she thinks you're doing something weird or stupid, she furrows her eyebrows (I'm thinking she will be the first to roll her eyes-not looking forward to that day), and she gives me the biggest grin and kicks her legs in excitement every morning when I come to get her out of her crib.

Another new favorite trick of hers is pursing her lips together and making a (no other way to put it) tooting noise while blowing spit bubbles at the same time. She thinks that one is pretty cool.

She continues to be our big eater (see rolls). Can't wait to see her get ahold of some baby food in the next few months!

I can't get enough of her cheeks. I kiss them ALL day long and sometimes wish I could nibble on them. She is such a joy. We love you, Sophie!

Miss Campbell Jane:

Most often called: CJ, Cambie, Drama Queen (more on this)

Well, I guess it would have been too good to be true to have two perfectly behaved children, and while Campbell is still a lovable, smiley, little sweetie pie, if I were to pick which of the two were more high maintenance, she just might get the prize. I'll just say that she looooves attention in all forms, and if she's not getting enough of it, she will very dramatically let you know. While she does have what I would call a "real cry" that she uses when she is hungry, tired, etc, she also has what I would call her "dramatic cry" which is her way of saying, "Hey, quit what you're doing, and talk to ME!" I know this because I will hear it from the other room, walk over to her, talk to her, and she turns into all smiles. So really, I guess it's pretty darn sweet she loves her mommy so much she just needs me all the time. She also will 99% of the time cry the longest when being put down for a nap (I usually just have to put Sophie in her crib with her blanket and she's out).

Her dramatic ways continue in that she very frequently protests naps and/or wakes up early from them, and the little diva rarely finishes her bottles unless they are warmed up exactly to her liking. Whenever she throws one of her dramatic little tantrums, her sweet daddy usually says something like, "Just like her mama." I usually don't think it's as funny as he does.

Ok, so now that you think I favor Sophie, I really do love her just as much as her sister. She also, coincidentally, has become quite the little chatter box. She talks and coos and giggles all the time. We still call her our little kitty cat because her sweet little noises sound just like a kitty. She loves being read to and will smile and coo the whole time I'm reading (Sophie usually just listens contentedly or stares at me instead of the pages).

All in all, she truly is a joy, and we wouldn't change a thing about our little drama queen! :)

Are they not the cutest things you've ever seen? I seriously can't get enough of them. Sometimes I catch myself looking at pictures of them on my phone while they nap, and I actually start to miss them if their naps run long. I can't squeeze or kiss them enough. They both still have the biggest, most mesmerizing, gorgeous blue eyes that are undeniably their daddy's exact color. Gosh, I hope they stay for good! And although people continue to tell me they are looking more alike, I just can't see it. They are still as different as night and day to me.

I hear many a twin mom tell me, "It gets easier!" and I see that in some ways and don't see that in other ways. One way our life has gotten easier is that we are on a pretty consistent nap schedule now (my house is also a little cleaner due to this, I'd like to think!) and I can see a light at the end of the sleeping-more-than-six-hours-at-night tunnel. But I can also see as the girls get more and more active, I will not be getting as many breaks!

I continue to look forward to each day I have with them, and on the days when I'm extra tired and think I don't have the energy to get through the day, I remind myself how much they've grown already and that someday I won't get to hold them in my arms and see their sweet, toothless grins, and someday they will get annoyed when I try to kiss their cheeks every 5 seconds. I wish they could stay this cuddly forever.

Love you, S & C. Can't wait to see what we have in store this next month. :)

A few snapshots from March:

Hanging out with our friend, Charlotte.

Sophie and Papa

Storytime with Daddy

silly daddy

xoxo



Stella and Dot

I'm super excited to become a part of this insanely awesome line of jewelry!

My sister introduced me to this amazing company and all of the great things that are going on in it. As soon as I saw the jewelry, my thought process went something like this:
1. I want it. All of it.
2. Um, but I can't afford all of it.
3. How can I get as many of these pieces as possible?
4. "Oh my gosh, ___________ (fill in blank with friend) would LOVE this piece!"

And so began my new venture as a stylist with Stella and Dot. Before you roll your eyes and start screening my phone calls (no, I will not be pressuring you to purchase things you can't afford or host awkard parties that no one cares to come to), it's not like that. I truly just wanted to be a part of this great organization, get lots and lots of their free, gorgeous jewelry, and have a little business/income on the side. In fact, I wouldn't even call what I'm doing "selling", since the stuff pretty much sells itself. Oh, and celebs are NUTS about this stuff, too!

I'm having a trunk show this Thursday (many of you reading this have been invited), but just in case you're reading this and you were not invited, I would love for you to come, too! Once again, these shows are very laid back, and will involve appetizers, wine, and fun trying on jewelry (no awkward sales pitch). Buy or don't buy at your discretion! If you're interested in coming, email me ( stephanie.k.nevels@gmail.com )

Of course if you fall in love with more pieces than you can afford (like me), let me throw you a laid back party described above, and you'll get at least a few pieces for free and several more 50% off.

I'm thrilled about introducing more gals to this gorgeous stuff. Here are a few of my faves right now (is it even possible to pick just a few?)

Birds of Paradise necklace. If I were going to a beach this summer (sigh), I would fo sho have to have this to wear with a sundress!

Celeb fan example. Love the Colette necklace.

Adore these pretty stackables.

I'm nuts about pearls in case you couldn't tell. :)

These might be the two items at the top of my list right now (and apparently People's, too). I have this cuff in black and wear it nearly everyday.

I absolutely need to have these for summer!

If you've never bought Stella and Dot before, I would of course love for you to purchase it from me. My personal S & D website is here.

I hope you love these gems as much as I do. :)

xoxo

Shoe Love

Well, consider this my form of therapy/coping with the fact that it would be insanely, ridiculously, proposterously impractical for me to purchase the below $30-a-pop gems for the girls' Easter outfits. I, of course, stumbled upon them on etsy while looking for the final piece of the girls' outfits. You may find it crazy that the girls do not have a (gasp) single pair of shoes. Once again, I fail to see the practicality of purchasing things that will be kicked off in a matter of seconds. Baby shoes are yet another one of those things that fall into the category of "If I only didn't have to buy TWO of them..." But, I'm just dying to find a pair they can wear with their Easter outfits and the gazillions of pictures we will take of them in it. So, here's to dreaming that I could rationalize spending more on the girls' shoes than my own...

These might be my absolute favorite.

So cute I could eat them.

LOVE the ruffle.

Aaaah the houndstooth!

By the way, don't even think about asking me for the link. I'll be entirely too jealous if I see your little one wearing any of these this Easter (just sign me up for Toddlers and Tiaras now).

Ok, I feel much better. See ya on the clearance aisle at Target.

xoxo



March Forth

I do believe that the month of March will forever be a special month for me. Every year, as March approaches, we begin to bid farewell to winter and welcome spring. For me, this month in 2010 was the month that I bid farewell to infertility and welcomed a long-awaited new chapter in my life. Sophie and Campbell were conceived at the beginning of this month (weird that I actually do know the exact day?), and Kyle and I found out on Sunday, March 21st that we would finally get the chance to become parents (which was quickly followed with the question, "but how many?!") I know this may be odd that I hold so much sentiment for a seemingly meaningless month, but it was such perfect timing in that the "winter" of our journey was over, and I will always remember that time with such joy as my heart was overflowing with it. Although coaching golf and teaching in the first trimester with twins was a challenge to say the least, I will never forget that spring that I finally had the chance to carry babies in my belly.

And for an extra fun fact, we found out on April Fool's Day that we would be expecting twins, no joke!  Wouldn't that have been the perfect opportunity to tell our friends and family it was quadruplets? :)

This year, the month of March continues to hold special meaning as several of my friends just welcomed babies into the world, and in the last few weeks I have found out that a whole new group of friends is expecting babies this fall! It's so amazing to me to see how all of these new little lives are so perfectly orchestrated.

"To everything there is a season. A time for every purpose under Heaven."  -Ecclesiastes 3:1

Although our journey through infertility had some definite low points, and we most definitely went through a season of doubt, fear, and sadness, it made our season of joy so much sweeter, and made us stronger as a couple in ways I believe nothing else could have. I never thought a year later that I could look back at last winter and be thankful for what we endured, but that's exactly what I am. God proved himself faithful and showed us, even at our lowest points, that He was there and orchestrating something far more magnificent than we had hoped for.

People always ask me "how I do it" with twins, and express their thoughts of bewilderment at how I am able to cope with two babies. The truth is, it's not easy; but on the days that are extra tough and challenging, I'm reminded of the dozens of nights that I spent crying in fear and hopelessness, and that always puts whatever craziness I'm dealing with into perspective.

So as we bid farewell to the cold for good, I hope that all of you are eagerly welcoming the warmth and joy in your life this March.

Happy spring! :)

Having a Monday on a Tuesday

Yep. It's just one of those days. I'm thinking my girls must have sensed the gloomy weather and decided to act a bit gloomy themselves. They are usually so bright, cheery, and perky in the mornings and fall asleep almost on cue for their morning nap without the slightest bit of a struggle. Not this morning. So after I reached near melt-down proportions, and the girls decided to quit protesting their nap, I decided it was time for some coffee. And apparently also time to spill half of the coffe grounds all over the counter, stove, and floor. Perfect. Just one of those mornings. Then, I came across this blog post on my blog roll this morning. How did she know this was just what I needed to read today? I felt such relief reading this that I stole her blog heading. And allow me to re-post this wonderful quote:

"But then I remind myself that perfection has no place in parenting, and 'for life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.'" -Kahlil Gibran

She also shared this wonderful article, which was a great reminder on what we should all seek as parents. I desperately hope that one day when I ask the girls what they remember most about their childhood, it's not that I was always cranky, always made them clean their rooms, or always worried about everything being perfect. I hope and pray with everything in me that the answer falls somewhere along the lines of how much fun we had. And believe me when I say it's a struggle for me to not act like the prior example most days.

If I could, I would raise my coffee mug this morning in a toast to you on celebrating being a non-perfect parent and focusing on the fun (important) stuff.

Cheers! :)

xoxo

The Nursery

Well, now that my girls are approaching 5 months, I am feeling their nursery is pretty much complete. I am pretty pleased with the final product, considering I bought almost everything in it without seeing any of it together until we moved in! Yes, there are things I would love to add/change, but quite honestly, I'm tired (and Kyle insists that replacing the ceiling fan with a chandelier is not necessary). And now have a whole house I am wanting to buy things for. So for now, I think we'll leave it be. I think the girls like it, too. Which is good, because it is their room.

I was definitely fretting about both of the girls' cribs fitting in the room in spite of the fact that I measured and re-measured before our house even had walls. But it turns out they fit perfectly.

These are probably my most favorite thing in their room. These beautiful ballerina paintings hung in my mom's room when she was a little girl. I actually stumbled upon them when I was taking stuff to one of our storage units that had a few things from my grandmother's house. I fell in love with them and knew they must go in the nursery (maybe because I secretly hope at least one of my girls falls in love with ballet the way I did as a little girl) :). The mattes were a little aged, so I just had new mattes put on them at Hobby Lobby.

I wanted something really sweet and simple for above their cribs. I found these vinyl monograms on etsy and really like the way they turned out.

My sweet friend, Russhel, made the girls' bedding. She did a phenomenal job, and it was so much fun to pick out the exact fabric I wanted for it. I seriously think I could have chosen a gazillion different fabrics, but I ended up choosing something pretty girly.

And my personal favorite place in the nursery, the rocker. If you've never had the opportunity to rock a baby, it's the sweetest thing in the world (yes, I have rocked both of my girls at once-doubly sweet! And also a bit challenging to arrange when I'm by myself)

I found this pillow on etsy after the girls were born. I loved the big ruffle around the edges. And I knew I wanted their birthday prominently displayed somewhere in their nursery.

I never had wanted the girls' room to have a "theme", but I guess you could say it has ballerina "accents." I found this cute statue at Marshall's this summer. And whenever I was unpacking the girls' books for their room, I stumbled upon the book on the top shelf that was one of my favorites as a little girl (Ballet Shoes). I thought it was only fitting it be displayed. The rest of the items on the shelf were gifts from very sweet friends.

I think I proably get more compliments on the changing table than anything. I found this dresser at Mockingbird Manor back when Kyle and I were engaged. I fell in love with the color when I saw it. In our old house, it was our bedroom dresser. But I knew if we ever had a girl it would move to the nursery. :) I also love the way it looks with the pale pink walls. The mirror I found at Home Depot (thanks, Ashley!), and my sister made the darling bow holder for me. I have also since gotten a different (taller) lamp.

(from the entry)

This darling little bulletin board was yet another sweet gift. Some of the pics on it so far (in case you can't see), are one of me while pregnant, a baby pic of both Kyle and I, their birth announcement/Christmas card, and valentines made for them by their cousin, Montana. :)

The one thing I didn't purchase before we moved in was curtains. I just wanted to see everything together before deciding what color/what type of curtain to get. Ideally, I had wanted to get some made, but again, we have a whole house to decorate, and I didn't want to splurge on custom curtains. So I found these pretty ones at Target for $10 a panel. I just bought one panel for each window and ended up not liking the way it looked. After staring at them for weeks, it finally dawned on me that I could buy some silky, white ribbon and create the kind I originally had wanted. So, voila! I hope it doesn't look too "do-it-yourself-ish." I actually really love the final product!

I always knew I wanted some kind of sweet "sister" reference in the girls' nursery. I stumbled upon this quote while pregnant, and I absolutely love it. So I just printed it on pink paper and framed it on the wall outside the nursery.

My sister found these adorable hooks at Ross before I found out the twins were girls because she was so certain that they were. They worked out perfectly for the entry. Good job, sis. :) Oh, she also made the cute sign for our hospital door. What would I do without her? And my dad, believe it or not, bought the "Twins Napping" sign in the hospital gift shop the day before I had the girls.

And how could I forget my inspiration (for the nursery, and life itself)? ;)

So there you have it! I think what I love most about their room is that it is a collection of things I love and things given to us from people we love. And I get to walk into it every morning to these two sweet faces. I promise we'll have lots of fun in it, girls! ;)

xoxo