The Brands

April 2011

2011-05-01T16:23:00.002-05:00

April has been a busy month around here. We celebrated Easter early with our church family. They had a preschool party that included an easter egg hunt, a visit fromt the easter bunny, games, craft and a snack. The kids loved it up until meeting the easter bunny. Billy would get near the bunny, but Bekah wanted nothing to do with the easter bunny.

For my spring break as I mentioned before we stayed at home. We had some adventures and just had some time as a family. One of the days we were heading out to the park to play with their golf clubs for the first time, but just as we were ready to head out, it started to thunder. Sure enough, minutes later it started raining. The kids were very disappointed that we were not going to be able to go to the park, but they played in the rain instead.

We weren't able to go to Deb's Graduation from WMU on Saturday because Bill couldn't take work off on Friday. Thankfully WMU broadcasted the graduation over the web. We were able to watch Deb's Graduation 750 miles away in North Carolina. Mom, I'm sorry we didn't dress up, I will admit we were in pj's and were playing with the kids through most of the ceremony. After the graduation we were able to Skype with all of the family that was there to celebrate her big day. Sorry we couldn't be there mom.

We were able to get to the park on Saturday. We took the golf clubs and a picnic dinner. The kids ran around and had a blast. At one point Bekah brought her red club up to us and said that it "doesn't match my shirt, I need a pink one" Bill and I lost it and tried to get her to repeat it on a video. Billy picked up on the golf really quick and Bekah did well, but was frustrated easily. We ended our park visit the best way possible with a trip to DQ for a blizzard. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Vacation

2011-04-29T16:03:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was the last day of our vacation. We enjoyed a bunch of family fun activities including playing at the park, family pictures, going out to eat, picnic in the living room, movies, mall, shopping, miniature golf and sight seeing in Asheville. We did have plenty of rest time in there and just overall enjoyed our time as a family.

This was the first long period of time that Bill and I have had off of work and we didn't go to Michigan. It was difficult decision, but we really needed the time for our family and driving 12 hrs + each way is very stressful with a little girl that gets car sick. We are planning a trip in July and are looking forward to it.

Bekah is doing even better with potty training. She decided yesterday while we were in Asheville that she would do a great job and not having any accidents. Today she decided that she wanted to wear panties so I put them on her and she hasn't had an accident yet.

Billy still isn't very interested in using the potty, but we aren't going to push him. When he is interested, he will.

Life

2011-03-31T19:16:00.008-05:00

As usual it has been a while since the blog has been updated. A few weeks ago Billy had an EGD done. It was hard watching our youngest little one go through it. It killed me to listen to him cry and cry when he was in recovery because he felt funny and had no clue why. Within 24 hours he was back to himself.

The Doctor was checking for Celiac Disease, Lactose intolerance and Reflux. Since he was diagnosed with reflux as and infant, we were pretty sure that it would show up. Sure enough when we met with the Doctor right after the procedure, he gave us a prescription for the reflux and said we would have the rest of the results at our follow up appointment.

We then waited 2 weeks for the results. Yesterday was his follow up appointment. The Celiac tests came back negative. I was so relieved. At this time we do not have to worry about a gluten-free diet. He will be checked again in 3-4 years due to the family history. He also tested negative with the Lactose intolerance.

Bekah also had her blood work results back and she was all in the normal range. We haven't had an EGD done with her because her blood work came back normal. Billy's blood work came back inconclusive, so we had to do further testing.

Bill and I became members to our local Y and have been going 3-4 times a week. We are noticing small changes but they are good ones. We knew it would be good for our family all around. The kids get to play with other kids (so thankful for their child watch program), we get to spend time together and be healthy. We have only been members for around a month and I'm laughing at what I can do now compared to what I could do on the first day.

The school year is getting into full stress mode. The big EOGs(end of grade test) are just around the corner in May. We haven't had a break since January since we had a snow/bad weather week. Since we missed 5 days we have had to use all of our work days between January and April to make them up. Kids are stressed and so are teachers, it makes for an interesting day.

I'm doing after school tutoring 2 days a week. It keeps me busy because I'm at school from 7:30-4:45 and working non-stop. I then pick up the kids from daycare and head home to make a quick dinner for them. Bill and I grab healthy snacks and hit the gym until 8pm. We bring the kids home and get them ready for bed. I'm thankful that I only tutor 2 days a week and that only one of the days fall on gym day.

Bekah is measuring in at 35 1/2 in tall and around 28lbs. Billy is measuring in at 35 1/2 in tall and about 30lbs. They continue to amaze us every day. Their vocabulary is increasing like crazy. Some of the things that they are saying make us so proud while others end them up in time out. I really don't know where they come up with some things.

Bekah is getting really good at making sure that we pray before every meal. Billy likes to pray but doesn't want to lead. Bekah loves to say the prayer, but it is difficult to understand what she is mumbling under her breath.

Billy is all boy, loving his trucks and his toy story figures. He knows the names and loves watching the movie over and over. He is the first one to point out a school bus, police car, fire truck or a "digger" (construction equipment). The pure joy that he has when he sees the vehicles is just beautiful.

Bekah is doing great with the potty training. Accidents are only happening at sleep times and when she is really involved in playing. Billy just isn't interested in going on the potty right now.

Happy Birthday Dottie!!

2011-02-21T16:53:00.001-05:00

Michigan/December Pictures

2010-12-08T17:06:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful time with friends and family while in Michigan. Here are some pictures that highlight our trip.

Michigan Trip

2010-11-12T09:10:00.003-05:00

We are looking forward to our upcomming trip to Michigan. We have been practicing all of the names of our family and friends. They know that we are going to be seeing family soon and ask about it often. Please pray for a safe trip and that the kids don't get too bored with the long drive. Please don't take it personal if we don't get to you over the holidays. We are going to try our very best to see everyone, but we don't want to stretch ourselves out too much.

Bekah is getting used to routines and was very cute this morning. Yesterday we were all home. Bill and I both had the day off. When Bekah woke up she said "go to church mommy?" She is so used to having Saturday at home and then going to church the next day. She made me proud. Yesterday while eating dinner she said "mommy... Jesus loves me!" Moments like these remind me of how blessed we are to be parents. I'm so thankful to have these moments, even the frustrating times of parenting are made a lot easier.

Billy has a double ear infection for the second time in less than 6 weeks. He was a good sport when we went to the Dr. He has been very sweet while he has been sick. Bill and I have both enjoyed the snuggling he has been asking to do. He loves making people laugh and having us name things for us. We are organizing the kids closet and found one of Bill's machbox cars. Billy has been having a blast playing with Daddy's car. When we find the rest of them we will get them out for him.

Please continue to pray for us with parenting and growing a Christian family. Everyday we are blessed with joys and new challenges.

Much needed updates

2010-11-08T19:35:00.003-05:00

Sorry we have been MIA for so long.

September 24th-26th Erica and I went to a Women's Retreat. We had a blast! Our rooms reminded us of dorms and we wondered why we didn't room together in college.

On Saturday, October 30th we went to Dallas to trick-or-treat. We were able to see Aunt E (she was passing out candy) and Uncle Bob (he was working). The kids weren't sure what to do with all of the people and it was their first time out for trick-or-treating. We didn't stay long because it was very busy and the kids weren't feeling the greatest.

On Sunday we went to our friends neighborhood and they got the hang of going up to the doors. They were confused because some people put the candy in their buckets and others wanted them to pick it out on their own. It seemed that they did the wrong thing at every house. :) They learned a new word "CANDY" I'm not sure how we have been able to keep it out of their vocabulary this long, but it is now apart of our daily lives.

Sorry it has taken us so long to update. I will try to do a better job, life is getting very busy. Can't wait to see family and friends soon.

This Weekend

2010-09-20T19:42:00.004-05:00

This weekend we went over to Charlotte to walk the mall and get some Donato's Pizza. As you can see from the pictures and video, Billy thoroughly enjoyed his pizza. At the 1:08 mark in the second video, there is a lady walking by with two pizzas and Billy notices. His reaction is priceless! We also got the kids Carolina Panthers hats to match their jerseys. They absolutely love them. The both wanted to sleep with them the first night and it was the first thing they went to when they got home from day care today.

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Can't wait to see everyone at Thanksgiving this year!!

Our Saturday Morning

2010-09-11T09:11:00.004-05:00

The kids decided they wanted to dance this morning....this was the result:

Bekah dancing by herself. You can barely hear it, but she's panting lol!

Both kids this time...when Billy falls onto the Lego box, you can hear him say "I fall down!" Crazy kido!

Billy getting knocked silly...he was spinning in circles and fell over dizzy. He bumped his head on the entertainment center, but was no worse for wear.

Billy is spinning in circles saying "turn around," even though it sounds more like "toe nail" lol. Oh, and Kaylee says Hi!

Needless to say Karrie and I were rolling! Have a good weekend everyone :)

August 2010

2010-09-06T11:07:00.002-05:00

Boone, NC

2nd Birthday Party

Bekah and Billy celebrated their 2nd birthday with Mrs. April and at Market Street pizza with family. We had a wonderful day!

Hurry... mommy is in the shower... we don't have time to waste.

2010-08-12T11:21:00.003-05:00

On a typical mornings the kids wake up while I'm in the shower, talk and play until I get them out. The past two mornings I have heard giggling while I was in the shower. Hmm, mommy radar kicks in and I start wondering what they are doing. Giggling is something I hear when they are laying down before bed or before a nap, or when they are wrestling. NEVER when they wake up. Mommy radar kicks into overdrive and I start thinking of all of the possibilities while rushing to finish my shower. Did Billy reach the basket that holds all of the baby wipes, lotion, diaper rash cream? I really start to worry.

I shut off the water, wrap the towel around me, water is dripping everywhere, I dash into their room.... to discover Billy and Bekah both in Bekah's crib. I sigh a great sigh, grab Billy explain to him that he can NOT climb into Bekah's crib. I go on to tell him that he could have gotten hurt or Bekah could have gotten hurt, but he is concerned because I guess I look funny with my hair dripping water all over and a towel wrapped around me. He looks at me so sweetly and says "sorry mommy". I give him a quick kiss and put him back into his bed until I can quickly get dressed and ready for the day(too many things to get into while mom is getting ready). As I walk out the door, Bekah shrieks, "MOMMY, NAKED!" I'm thinking to myself, why did we ever say the word naked when getting them ready for a bath. I reply, "no sweetie, mommy is wearing a towel" and continue getting ready.

Life with toddlers.

Fourth Of July

2010-08-09T14:00:00.009-05:00

A little late is better than never, right? We celebrated the 4th of July in Dallas, NC.

Uncle Bob was working, so we had to say hi.
Kids weren't too sure what to think with all of the people.
They were setting off smaller fireworks while we were waiting for the real show to start. Billy thought they were amazing and had a blast.
Bekah on the other hand was terrified.
Every time a firework would go off she would cry and say "no, no, no". Once the real show started and they were continuos, she started enjoying them. She was actually watching them instead of burring her face in my chest.

We had a great time and loved the show.

Michigan

2010-06-28T11:09:00.006-05:00

We are back from our wonderful trip to Michigan. We had a wonderful time visiting family and friends. We couldn't have asked for a better trip (just longer, it went way too fast). We hope we can make it back again this year, but aren't sure.

On the drive up, it took us 13 hrs 15 min, that is really good considering we stopped twice for food and once for gas. Our trip up was uneventful until Bekah upchucked her breakfast all over her and her seat. Bill and I tag teamed the clean up efforts and we were on our way fairly quick. We had a good little laugh about our adventure and continued on. The kids started getting fussy and I gave them their new toy to play with. They call it an "i color" not to be confused with an ipod, imac, or ipad. lol It is basically a cheap ($2.50) magnent drawing board. They played with it for an hour an a half straight, at lunch and then played with it another hour and a half. Best purchase I've made in quite a while.

Our first destination was to PaPa's (my dads) house. We arrived at 5:45pm (left NC at 4:30am). After we got unpacked we headed over to Deb's work to see grandma (Bill's mom) she was so excited and got to show off the grandkids. They colored with pencil, even on her desk (oops) and had a blast saying Hi to everyone. It was a quick dinner and then to bed for the kids after a long day.

Friday we did some errands around Kalamazoo and playing in the yard. We met up with my mom at the mall and she got to see the kids for the first time.

Fazolis was a great lunch!!! We went back to Dads and enjoyed his yard and throwing and kicking a ball around. When Am ma (grandma, Bill's mom) arrived the kids dove into the kiddie pool. It was all we could do to get their clothes off of them before they climbed in. I won't post pics from that night because as Bekah would say they were "necked" (naked). All of us adults had a blast watching the kids splash away. My dad and I had a good laugh when Bill decided his mom needed to get into the pool (picked her up and put her in, clothes and all). The kids didn't know what to thing with Am ma in there with them.

Saturday we enjoyed some more time around the house and some more running around. They really enjoyed playing ball in the yard, flying a kite, using sidewalk chalk and best of all pool time (this time with bathing suits on). Grandma decided to join the kids in the pool on her own this time and they all had a blast.

Sunday was Fathers day. We celebrated with my dad and Bill's dad both. Everyone went to church together, enjoyed some time at the mall in GR and then ended up at BC Pizza. We were so thankful to be able to spend this holiday with our fathers. We couldn't be more blessed with the two wonderful children God has blessed us with.

Monday we went shopping for Western shirts for all four of us and found some really nice ones. Our time in Kalamazoo ended quickly. :(

Tuesday we drove to Sturgis, ate lunch with Jackie at work and headed back to Dottie's house. We were surprised with friends that visited for dinner and then some other family members that arrived. Each day in Sturgis we saw even more friends and family. We wished we would have had more time with everyone, but did our best.

Saturday we headed home to NC. This time we left at 4:45 and didn't make it home until 7pm (15hrs 15 min). We had to stop more because Bill and I were very tired and having a hard time staying awake. There were a lot of areas with construction zone speed limits that slowed us down. We also ran into a traffic jam, well... more like a parking lot. We came to a complete stop for 30 min, put the windows down and turned off the car. It was an even longer day but we made it home safely. We probably should have taken the same way back that we did going there, but you never know what is going to be faster.

Thanks to all of the family and friends that hosted us for the 8 days. So thankful that we were able to spend time with everyone that we did, and sorry that we missed some too.

Getting Big

2010-05-26T20:45:00.004-05:00

Kids are getting big! We have included some of the beautiful Carolina blue sky, Billy's first hair cut, a family picture and some other around the house pics. Enjoy!!!

Bek enjoys naming everyone she knows (in the car, sitting around the house, even at 3am). She even demands to talk on the phone.

Billy has discovered "no", "ssssTOP" and a few others. Getting pretty feisty.

Can't wait to see everyone soon.

19 months & Easter

2010-04-27T12:02:00.002-05:00

Some funny things that happened this month. Bekah tried on all 3 of her new outfits at the same time. She had on 4 shirts, 2 pairs of shorts and a skirt. Billy tried on Daddy's sweatshirt and it swallowed him up. They tried Spaghetti for the first time. I think they played with it more than they ate it.

We were able to celebrate Easter with Brent, Deb and Grandma Heldt. Dad and I took the kids to Monkey Joe's (a play place for kids) and had a great time. All of us took the kids to the park to play with their new easter gifts (balls and bubbles). We all had a blast and learned new things. Rolling a big ball, kicking the ball and making bubbles were some of their favorite things to do.

We have been working on potty training the kids and Bekah is catching on very quickly. Billy thinks its fun, but not sure what the potty is for.

Both kids are cutting many teeth at the same time. I feel bad for them. We also discovered that they have seasonal allergies. We found out the hard way when the pollen "snowed" on NC. We have been able to treat it with over the counter medicine and they are doing very well.

18 months old

2010-04-27T11:40:00.005-05:00

At the end of February the kids turned 18 months old and Bill had his shoulder surgery.

Bill's surgery went as well as could be expected. They didn't have any surprises once they started and it went like clockwork.

His surgery was on Thursday and on Saturday Dottie arrived. We were so thankful to share that time with her. She didn't have to share her great-grandchildren with anyone like she normally has to do when she visits (share the kids with Grandma and Grandpa Brand).... Well that was until we had a wonderful surprise visit from Bill and Jackie. They drove through the night just to be able to surprise us. We had a great long weekend and were able to celebrate Bill's birthday (March 9th) with everyone.

I learned not to leave Jackie, the kids and candy alone (just kidding). Jackie showed the kids how you can use egg candy and turn it into lipstick. It was really cute and the kids were all for it. Thank you Jackie for putting "lipstick" on my son. ;)

2010-02-14T15:42:00.002-05:00

Long overdue 17 month pictures, I thought I should get them up before they are 18 months :)

Mommy went to a breakfast with the ladies at church and kids stayed home with daddy. They had a bunch of fun and also cleaned up the house. It was a nice surprise for mommy.

Just playing around!

Friday the 12 of February snow fell all over North Carolina. This was the first time the kids have really been able to play in the snow. We were able to have some time in it on Friday and Saturday. They had a blast.

Holidays

2009-12-29T16:29:00.015-05:00

We have had quite the adventurous holiday season around our house. As soon as Bill's dad arrived, our kids decided that they didn't want to sleep at night and thought it would be more fun to keep the grandparents up at night. We weren't sure what was causing it.

Wednesday, December 16th we celebrated Christmas with Bill's Dad's side of the family. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed our time together. The kids were a lot of fun to watch them discover what they could do with wrapping paper.

Thursday, December 17th Bob graduated from his Basic Law Enforcement Training. We were able to celebrate with him and continue our celebrations at Olive Garden after the graduation. We are very proud of him and everything he accomplished. Can't wait to see him in his first department uniform. Praying that God sends him the job opportunity that he has planned for him.

Saturday evening, we planned on going to church with everyone (Brent, Deb, Bob, Erica, Bill, Jackie and Dottie). Unfortunately the migraine and upset stomach that Jackie was dealing with on Friday continued over to Sat. She ended up in ER that night and surgery the next morning. When they were able to leave on Monday (day later than they planned) she left our beautiful state w/o an appendix. We are just thankful that they were here in town with us and not stuck between NC and MI on their journey home.

Tuesday we(My dad and I) took Billy in to the dr because he had been up all night for a few nights in a row and that wasn't like him at all. Double ear infection was his diagnosis. He also had a red throat and they didn't want to test him for strep since they were going to give him meds for the ears that would take care of strep if he had it.

Wednesday, Bill returned to work and Dad and I took Bekah into the Dr. She tested positive for strep but ears were fine. She started her rounds of medicine and felt much better w/in 24 hours.

Santa visited our apartment complex and I'll let you see for yourselves how much the kids LOVED Santa. ;)

We had a family event of making cookies, it was a blast. I made them, dad baked them, Deb kids and I decorated them and Bill helped us eat them. :) At one point Billy tried to pick up his cookie and stuck it to his bib with frosting used as glue.

Christmas Eve we continued our family tradition of opening pjs. I think Billy was a little disappointed when he discovered that it was just clothes and it wasn't a fun toy. Bekah loved that they were soft and was excited about "pretty" clothes.

Christmas Day we celebrated the four of us with Grandma Wade (Deb) and Grandpa Holtz (Brent) (wow that sounds strange). After our family Christmas, Bob and Erica joined in on the fun. We had my dad's yummy french toast and I made Christmas dinner later that evening.

Playing at the Park was a lot of fun. This was the first time the kids were able to play at this park, because last time it was closed for improvements. They had a blast running around and exploring everything around them.

The worst part of everything, is saying "bye". It is hard being able to have Grandparents around for 2 weeks and then all of a sudden everyone is gone. Kaylee is even looking around like "Where did everyone go?" Over the course of the holidays Bekah is talking more and Billy is now saying "geckah" meaning Bekah. We try to get Bekah to say Billy but she says "buba" instead.

Thanks for the chicken parmesan and french toast dads :) For all of the hugs, kisses and great memories. Can't wait to see everyone again soon. Love and miss everyone.

15 Month Pictures

2009-12-10T18:48:00.002-05:00

I know it has been way too long. I keep getting behind with the postings of the pictures. It is incredible what the kids are doing to make us laugh and cry all at the same time. They do some of the silliest things and then without notice they accidentally smack you in the face with a sippy cup (thanks for the busted lip bubby) :)

A few posts back the pictures had Bekah with a bruise on her head and Billy's busted lip. Well now it is more often that mommy has a busted lip because someone is always crashing into me with a toy or their thick heads.

As of today we took down our fortress as we call it. It is the "cage" that blocked off the tv and stairs for many months. We have hidden most of the electronics around the TV and are not letting them play around the stairs. They are able to climb the stairs and get down them fairly well, but we don't want them trying it with out us.

Both kids get very excited when they see each other first thing in the morning. You hear "buba" and "sissy" and it just melts your heart. Hearing their little voices say "mommy" and "daddy" is priceless. Their vocabulary is improving significantly.

On Saturday we decorated the tree, or I should say they decorated the tree. While they were napping, Bill and I put up the tree and put the lights on it. We had the kids decorate it and didn't lift them up much so as you will see most of the ornaments are on the bottom of the tree, but it is very cute. Billy wanted to put all of the ornaments on the same branch and Bekah just wanted to collect as many as she could in her arms.

We had so much fun. I can't wait to bake cookies and make fudge with them in the next few weeks. We are so blessed to have our little miracles. I thank God every day for them and all the blessings and life lessons they bring.

We are looking forward to Uncle Bob graduating from his BLET course and are so proud of him. Family will be here soon to celebrate his graduation and the holidays with us. Hope every one has safe travels this holiday season and remembers the meaning of Christmas.

14 month pictures

2009-11-15T22:30:00.002-05:00

I added a few extra pictures to the 14 month shots since it has been a while. Billy didn't want to take pictures, so I have some other ones up from days after the first ones.

Billy's vocabulary is pretty crazy. He can say "daddy, mommy, kaylee, sissy, baby, ball, car, hi, hey" and a few other ones.

Bekah doesn't like to speak as much as she likes to use her signs. She does love to babble though.

Bekah has all of her molars in and Billy is working on his but none have popped through.

Both kids are very active. They enjoy sitting and looking at books, blowing their little toy horn, and pushing and pulling things. Anything that makes music or noise is a hit around the house. They enjoy the time that they spend with friends once a week at Mommy and Daddy's small group. They are the youngest kids there, but love to play with everyone.

Today we brought home our second art work project from church. They colored a pretty picture. I'm surprised that Billy didn't eat the crayon this time around. :)

We are looking forward to the holiday season and can't wait to see family.

Emotional

2009-10-18T18:52:00.003-05:00

Looking at Bekah and Billy this morning, I started to think about how blessed we are. I was thinking back to three years ago. Bill and I were praying for children, and didn't really know what our future held for us. We had no idea that our journey to parenthood would be such a long one(yet very short compared to some of our friends).

Two years ago, we were deciding to go to a fertility specialist in Charlotte. It was a big step for us, and I'm very thankful that we took that step. It was a leap of faith focused on what God wanted for our future. We knew that the path of fertility drs wouldn't guarantee our family, but knew it was Gods plan for us to pursue it.

One year ago I was very overwhelmed with being a new mom. I wanted to make sure that I was making all of the right decisions and caring for my children the best that I could. They were so small and couldn't tell us what was bothering them. I hated seeing them struggle with their reflux.

Back to this morning, Bekah was dressed up in a new dress and tights that had ruffles on the butt. She looked like a princess. I told her how beautiful she looked and she just beamed at me. Bill and I always tell her how beautiful she is inside and out. Once I got Billy dressed, I told him how handsome he looked, he just nodded and walked off. I just sat there on the floor watching them walk around the living room. We don't have babies anymore, we have toddlers. Walking is so easy for them and they want to be more and more independent. They are learning baby signs so that we can communicate better with them and understand more of what they want/need. They sign "more" and "all done" very well. That helps so much at meal time so that we know what they want. It prevents us wasting food to find out if they are all done or want more. Plus, I don't have to wonder if they were still hungry.

I had to post pictures from today because I was just in awe of how beautiful they looked. All the thanks goes to the Lord on our blessings. I was still thinking about all of this when we were at church, and then to top the emotional cake, the kids made their first craft in Sunday School. I know they didn't do much to make it, but it was very special for me. Their teacher even put their names and date on it for me. Right now I have them posted on the fridge, it is one of those moments that really makes me feel like a mom.

So blessed.

Lookin' Cute

2009-10-18T16:22:00.002-05:00

This past week it has been quite cold. Today we dressed up the kids in their "warm" clothes for church. They looked so cute that we had to get pictures. They actually sat very well for the pictures. That was a first. :)

Playing at the park.

2009-10-18T16:05:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago, we had a wonderful day plying at the park. Unfortunately the play area was closed, but the kids were very content on playing in the grass. Billy decided that he wanted to walk on the path and got his first skinned knee

13 Months Old

2009-09-27T11:54:00.003-05:00

Ever since I returned to work, we have been dealing with something at the drs with the kids. I feel so bad for them. They have had a battery of tests, and just when we thought we were getting some answers, now they have had a upper respiratory virus. They are on about day 9 and doing much better. They have had very stuffy noses, can't sleep, won't eat much of anything and have even had snot come out of their eyes. YUCK!

Our first rounds of visits to the dr were from weeks of diarrhea. We are pretty sure that the kids have a sensitivity to milk. At this point we aren't ruling it an allergy. The dr suggested we put them back on their formula for two weeks and then try milk again. If we have problems, go back on the formula and then we would talk about allergy testing. I guess it isn't very common at this age to do testing. We are currently on the formula and will try milk again next weekend.

I also had to take Bekah to the dr for a very high temperature. Now it is pretty easy to see that it was her respiratory virus that they both have. Bekah got a pretty good sized goose egg on her head on Thursday when she fell against the chair. You can see her bruise in all of the pictures.

Just as I got my camera out to take the 13 month pictures, Billy fell against the gate and busted his lip. So now you get to see what it is really like with two toddlers. Bumps, bruises and all.

Both kids never stop to amaze us. Billy says "hi guy" all the time. He picked that up from daddy saying Hi Guys when he sees the kids, I'm guilty of doing the same. Bekah very clearly says "hi dad" There are quite a few mamas around the house and a few kaylees too. The best is asking them where their bellies are and they lift up their shirt to show you. TOO CUTE!

Well, Bekah is sitting on the desk as I type this and getting into everything, so I must go and get her some "real" toys to play with.

Love and miss you all!

~The Brands

Big Kids

2009-09-12T22:48:00.004-05:00

I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to get everything updated. It isn't easy to find an hour or so to work on posts with two growing kids. Make sure that you see all of the new posts. There are quite a few of them.

I'm proud to say that we no longer are using bottles. We started Labor Day weekend. That Friday night was the last time our "babies" had bottles. I would have gotten rid of them sooner, but they had a bad reaction to Milk, so I wanted to give them some time and get their tummy's stable before I tried switching them over. We had been doing mostly sippy cups, but not all the time.

The week before labor day was difficult for the kids. They were sick, running mild temps and just not happy. It was also the time that I introduced new foods and milk with out lactose. After a week and a half of nasty diapers, I put them back on formula and only gave them foods that I knew didn't bother them. We still used the cups while using formula (big kids, so proud).

Tomorrow I'm going to introduce the lactose free milk back in. I hope that it doesn't bother them and that they weren't having a reaction to the milk.

Billy is starting to put two word sentences together. This is a very early development. He says "hi daddy", "hi Kaylee" "hey daddy" "hey Kaylee" I guess you can tell who his favorites are. He does say mama sometimes, but not as often. He is also saying uh-oh and knows how to use it correctly too. Billy is "talking" all the time.

Bekah is working on her talking too. She says daddy, mama, and tons of babble. One of her favorite things right now is to place a ball or small toy in your hand, get all excited about it and then take it back out of your hand. She is doing great, because she doesn't drop it into your hand, she places it there. She repeats this over and over and gets very excited.

Both kids have mastered climbing onto the couch, and getting down by laying on their bellies and sliding backwards until their feet hit the floor. Billy mastered it on his own, I showed Bekah a few times and now she has it down.

One thing that is difficult for Bill and I is their bed time. We used to put them down at 8 or 8:30, then it went to 8, 7:30 and then stayed at 7 for a while. Now they are to the point that they are pretty much ready at 6:30 or 7. I already hate how little time we get with them, now they are wanting to go to bed even earlier. Even though they are going to bed earlier, they are still getting up at the same time or even later.

Bekah loves it when you put new or "pretty" clothes on her. Her "pretty" clothes are just things that mommy tells her that are pretty, she lights up and is very excited. She also loves shoes. We bought them their first pairs of shoes at payless. Today when we were at the mall, I was looking for some new black dress shoes (didn't find any), when Bill was playing with the kids, Bekah looked down at her shoes pointed at them and then pointed to the ones on the shelves. The little stinker knew what kind of store we were in.

I wish the kids would leave things on their heads. They look so cute wearing hats, sunglasses and Bekah looks cute in head bands. Oh well, maybe when they get a little older.

Well, for now, I need to go to bed. God Bless and love you all.

1st Birthday Party ~ NC

2009-09-09T20:26:00.004-05:00

We celebrated their first birthday at our house on their birthday. We started out the day by going to church and then came home and napped. After lunch we had a small party with Bob, Erica, Meloney, Ben, Matthew and Mandy. Even my dad joined the party by webcam. The kids were so excited to see him, but didn't understand that they couldn't touch him.

As usuall, the kids were spoiled and had a blast. Their cake eating was much more fun to watch since they had their "practice" run in Michigan. Billy ended up turning the bath water a blue shade.

We had a wonderful time. Happy first birthday Bekah and Billy!

August 23rd 2009

2009-09-09T20:19:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday Bekah and Billy! Mommy and Daddy can't believe that you are one now. You are doing so many fun things that just crack us up. I don't know where the past year has gone.

Bekah is walking like a champ now. As soon as she got back home she stared walking more and more. She likes to wrinkle up her nose and try to make pig sounds. Her laugh/giggle, makes the entire room light up. She eats like a champ and eats everything you put in front of her.

Billy has mastered walking. He doesn't even hesitate anymore, he is just off. He likes to sit with daddy and watch tv, but most of all likes to steal the remote or phones. He shakes his head "no" when anyone around says "no". He is eating more and more these days, he isn't as picky as he first was.

Both kids now have 6 teeth and are eating solids. Baby food is a thing of the past. Now they can't walk under the desk anymore, and it was quite the learning experience when they found that out.

At their 1yr check up Bekah weighed 20lb 1oz and was 29 1/2in long. Billy weighed in at 21lb and 1oz and was 30 in long. Bekah is closing the gap in on the weight. It is funny looking at them because it looks like there is more than 1 pound separating them, but there isn't.

Binder Park Zoo

2009-09-09T20:11:00.004-05:00

Our first trip to the zoo!

We started the day out by visiting our friends at Kalamazoo Missionary Church. The kids did great in the nursery and we were able to talk with people we hadn't seen in quite a while.

After church with my Dad and Deb, we met up with Bill's Dad, Jackie and Dottie at Fazoli's in Battle Creek for lunch. The kids helped me eat my meal and had a blast.

We headed off to the zoo. The kids had a lot of fun, but tired out pretty quick, especially Bekah. Bill and I bought them stuffed animals from their first zoo visit.

Here are some pictures that were taken in Ohio and Michigan.

As most of you may already know, we tried to see as many people as possible. Unfortunately that didn't mean that we were able to see everyone. We did our best, but it wasn't easy traveling with two toddlers.

The trip home was much easier with daddy able to help out in the car. :) I'm thankful that I made the trip up there on my own, I know I can do it, but dont' know if I will ever do it alone again.

August 1st

2009-09-09T20:08:00.004-05:00

Bekah and Billy's 1st Birthday Party in Michigan.

Bill's dad picked Bill up at the airport while the rest of us got ready for the birthday party. Dottie out did herself as usual, there was so much food we could have fed an army. Everything was delicious and beautiful. Jackie helped so much too getting everything ready.

The party was so much fun! Kids were able to meet family that they hadn't seen before, we were able to see tons of people and just had an overall great day.

Update

2009-09-09T19:56:00.003-05:00

I know this is a long overdue update. Sorry it has been so long. We have been very busy around the Brand house. I'll try to start where we left off. It may take a few posts to get you up to date.

At the end of July, I made a trip to MI with the kids and dog. Bill stayed at home for a week, then flew up later. Just before the trip Bekah and Billy turned 11 months old.

My first stop was to Dee and Tim's house(in OH). Dee is Bill's aunt and her family hadn't met the kids yet. I was able to introduce the kids to Dee, Tim, Rick and Rachel. They also met J.J. and Sara. These are great aunts, but we didn't say the "great" too much :) We had a lot of fun and the kids did great in the car.

The next day we made our way to MI. We drove through Sturgis (making a quick stop to say hi to Bill's Dad, Jackie and Dottie) and concluded our journey in Mattawan at my Dad's house. It was nice to be stationary and to unpack the kids. They were happy to see my dad, but Bekah wasn't so sure about him holding her at first.

Any time I wasn't in the room, she would go great to my dad, but if I was in the room that was a different story. Dad and I took the kids to a few dinners out, as well as a fun dinner with the Smeaders. They were anticipating the birth of their first grandchild and were having a blast with Bekah and Billy.

Bekah wasn't as excited about walking in MI and she was satisfied with crawling at her lightning speed. Billy on the other hand was determined to walk, and that he did.

After spending a few days at my dads house, we drove back down to Sturgis and stayed with Dottie. We visited my grandma and Century Bank & Trust where I used to work. I was surprised at how many people remembered me.

We got everything ready for the party and enjoyed time with Dottie, Bill's dad and Jackie. Our family was also anticipating Daddy's arrival to MI. We missed him very much.

more to come...

Grandma Visit and Baptism

2009-07-14T17:46:00.004-05:00

This weekend Grandma visited for Uncle Bobby and Auntie E's baptism. I'm thankful that we were able to share Bob and Erica's baptism with them. It was also fun to explain it to Bekah and Billy. They looked at me with serious faces and nodded their heads like they understood. I know they don't understand now, but they will later in their life.

We were able to have a great time together, and enjoy the pool. Bekah loved the kiddy pool because she could touch the bottom and crawl around in the pool. Her favorite part was crawling out of it. I think I spent more time putting her back in the pool than I did anything else. Billy is a water rat. He would live in water if he could. He likes to be on his belly and moves his arms and legs as fast as he can. I think he will be swimming in no time. He was even doing a good job of closing his mouth and putting it in the water. Daddy even taught him how to blow air out when his mouth was under water. Billy thought that was pretty cool.

It was sad to see Grandma go this morning, but we will see her and all of our other family members in a few short weeks. :) Hope everyone is having a great summer and we can't wait to come for a visit.

Please pray for our safe trips. I will be driving up with the kids and dog and Bill will be flying up later.

Big Day

2009-07-11T17:37:00.003-05:00

It has been a big day around our house today. Our morning started off with Bekah taking 3 big girl steps. This afternoon when we weren't even working with Billy, he took 3 big boy steps. We are so proud of them. They are going to be taking off in no time.

This week we got new booster seats, snack cups and sippy cups. We had fun trying them all out while watching tv. Don't worry the booster seats are now in the kitchen and they won't be using them in front of the tv anymore. :)

You will notice a nice bump on Billys head, he fell against the end table in the living room and has proof.

Teeth count: Bekah 4 and Billy 2.

Favorite toys include mommy's old cell phone and the old tv remote. :) Oh and the wipes are fun to pull out of the container too (had to include that for you stef, this was only hours after we were talking about things kids get into).

Teething

2009-07-07T13:07:00.001-05:00

Teething makes sleep at our house very difficult. Sunday, once the kids went down for a nap, I decided to take one too. When I woke up, I found Bill and Billy asleep on the couch together. Now that they are mobile they don't like to snuggle much. Bill said that Billy woke up early from his nap but wasn't quite ready to get up. He fell back asleep on the couch with Bill and Bill fell asleep too.

Our mesh feeders that are ment to have chunks of fruit and veggies in them (so the kids can eat them, but only get small pieces) are great for teething with ice in them. I wish I would have tried this sooner. Our floor got a little wet and so did the clothes, but I don't care. I have happy babies with ice. :)

Happy Dating Anniversary, 8 years!

2009-07-07T10:11:00.005-05:00

I can't believe that today marks 8 years together. As Bill was telling Bekah this morning, we wouldn't have guessed that we would be in NC and have almost 1 year old twins. Life is pretty crazy but we wouldn't trade it.

I love you babe!

Prayer Request Update

2009-06-28T08:07:00.003-05:00

I got the call on Friday to come in and sign next years contract. I HAVE A JOB!!! We are so blessed to see God work in our lives and to see how he has his hands in everything.

I don't know if I will stay at my school, or be moved to a new school, but I have a job. I will most likely have my same job. I'm so thankful for the blessing of a job in these tough economic times.

10 months old today

2009-06-23T10:28:00.004-05:00

Today marks 10 months we have had our beautiful miracles in our lives. Every day we notice them doing something different and new. They amaze us daily with their personalities and how they explore the world around them.

Bekah now has 4 teeth and shows them off when she smiles. She has been having a tough time sleeping and wakes up crying like she is in pain, but haven't figured out what it is that causing it. She likes to crawl around the room with a bib or burp rag hanging out of her mouth. We call her our little puppy dog. She talks a lot during the day and likes to say "da da" the most. Sometimes she makes it into "a da da" not sure what any of it means, but its pretty cute. She walks around the furniture as long as she has a hold on something or can put her hand on something for balance. Bekah waves bye bye and is just learning how to blow kisses. She is the most beautiful little girl with a very strong spirit. She will be able to achieve anything she sets her mind to.

Billy now has two teeth and working on the top two teeth. He uses everything to rub on his top gums (crib rail, moms arm, high chair, and anything else he can get his mouth on). Billy is quite the sleeper and has taken 3 1/2 to 4 hour naps although 2 is his normal. I think he is going through a growth spurt. Billy took his first step on Tuesday right into Uncle Bobby's arms. It was so cute. He has been working on it, but this was his first true step. He is babbling on and on. He makes all different sounds and changes his tone of voice when he is talking. He loves to lay his head down on stuffed animals. Billy has a soft spirit. He watches and observes everything around him, checking everything out. He analyzes his environment and has incredible determination.

We bought the kids a push/ride toy. You can walk behind the toy, and then in converts and they will be able to ride on it when they are older. Billy didn't want to ride, but Bekah liked pushing it backwards. They will both walk behind it, but don't know what to do when they get to a wall. You get the look "mom, come fix it".

When they wake up in the morning and from naps are one of my favorite parts of they day. They are always so happy and excited to see you. Billy jumps in his bed while holding onto the rails and gives a huge smile. Bekah lights up the room with her huge smile and is sometimes still sitting and playing with her doll or standing and talking with her brother.

It is fun to watch them interact. They will look at each other and just babble back and forth. I'm kinda scared to know what their conversations are about. I think they are plotting against Bill and I ;)

Finger foods are so much for them. They eat little bites of about anything. They get so excited to share our foods with us. Even though they don't like baby food rice, they love ours.

Just wanted to let you know we will be traveling to MI August 1st and will probably be leaving either the 8th or 9th. I'm not sure when we will be in Kalamazoo and when we will be in Sturgis, but we will let everyone know.

Quick Prayer Request

2009-06-19T10:57:00.005-05:00

I just want to make a quick request to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Please don't stress over it, but there is a small chance that Karrie could lose her job. The entire state of NC has to make staff cuts in Education, but until they finalize the state budget, no one knows how many positions must be cut. When they announce the cuts, it will start from the bottom with 1st Year teachers. Second year teachers will be next, which is where Karrie is. From all the talk from administrators, they seriously doubt the cuts will make it to 2nd year teachers.

Hockey League - Game 3

2009-06-18T13:40:00.004-05:00

Alright, game 3 of our season was the best so far. Unfortunately that doesn't mean we won, just that we played better. We didn't have our full team because of it being such a late game (we started at 10:45pm) but it actually helped make things less hectic. This was my first game taking over the goaltending responsibilities, and I played fairly well despite the score. It may seem strange to say that, with a score of 6-12, but this was the best team we've faced yet and if it wasn't for a handful of crazy saves it could have easily been much worse. I let in the occasional bad five-hole goal, which was a combo of rust and being tired. There were also a few fluky goals that everyone including the ref looked at one another like "How in the world did that go in??" Our defense played better, but they still need to work on picking up guys in the slot. I counted at least 3 goals were I had to play all the way against one pipe and the other team had a guy camped out behind me just outside of the crease. No one on my team picked up this extra guy and they had an easy pass across center and slam dunk goal. There's nothing really I can do in those situations other then dive and hope for the best. From about halfway through the 2nd period on, we actually outscored the other team. We started spacing ourselves properly and jumping in on offense when we had the puck. I also had quite a few saves throughout the game that not only had my teammates cheering, but the ref and other team were commenting as well. It felt nice that my first game back was also our best game, and not trying to boast, but if we had one of the two previous fill in goalies the game would have been much uglier. Everyone was very appreciative of how I played, and they were taking the blame for many of the goals that they knew weren't my fault. I got the feeling that everyone thought I played well and were happy I was in net for the team. Unfortunately, it sounds like we play the best two teams the next two weeks, so things might get a little worse before they get better.

Twin comments

2009-06-16T16:12:00.006-05:00

When we are out and about we get many questions and comments. It never ceases to amaze me some of the questions we get. I'll list some of the comments and questions we get.

1) Are they twins? um, no, I just took the neighbors baby that is about the same age.

2) Are they both yours? That is how twins work!

3) Are they identical? Well one is a girl and one is a boy, what do you think?

4) Do twins run in your family? Does it really matter?

5) Oh good a boy and a girl, your family is done. Um, isn't that our decision?

6) Oh bless you. I know that can be a nice comment but when it is said sympathetically, not so nice.

7) I can't imagine having twins. That is why God gave them to us and not to you.

8) How do you do it? Well, I feed them change them and love them just like you do one baby.

9) I've always wanted twins! Did you want the preterm labor, complicated pregnancy, possible NICU time, two mouths to feed, two diapers to change, two medical bills to pay, two babies to get up with in the middle of the night? It isn't all puppies and rainbows.

10) Are they natural? Aren't all babies natural?

11) How far apart are they? 21 min THEY'RE TWINS??? yes, there are only 2lbs difference between them, not 9 months worth.

The worst will have to be the ones that say "I just have to stop you." We want to reply, "Then we will just have to run you over." We get this about 2 times a month. People will walk right in front of the stroller or cart and stop you. Do they realize that they aren't the only ones that do that and people like that make our shopping trips turn into all day outings.

I thought everyone would get a laugh from our daily events.

Summer

2009-06-16T09:45:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, my summer started at home with the kids. Our first day was great. I feel like I'm running around crazy, but a good kind of crazy. I try to get things done around the house, but it isn't easy with two little "helpers". The only time I can really get things done is when they are napping or in their high chairs. Our living room isn't baby proof, so I'm either moving the kids away from things or saying "no". Since I don't want them saying no, no, no back to me, I try to remove them more than say NO. We baby proofed as much as we can but there are still things that they love to play with that they shouldn't like lamp cords and other cords.

I made it on my first full out grocery trip yesterday with the kids. Bill and I usually do it together or only take one kid with me while the other stays home with daddy. I had Billy in the front part of the cart and Bekah in the carrier. Her legs are getting so long that her feet hit my legs when we walk, but it wasn't too bad. I don't think summer in NC is a good time to have a 9mo old furnace in a carrier. I think Bill and I will stick to big trips together where one has the cart and the other has the stroller. I can manage smaller trips with the stroller and a few items.

Today I think we may hit the library and see what all fun books we can find. Tomorrow I will be going to a Small group bible study for moms. I'm excited to meet other moms at our church.

Here are some pictures from when we went to the park the other weekend. Bekah and Billy tried out the big swing. They had a blast.

Here are some pictures from their first time at the pool. It is pretty dangerous taking a camera to the pool with these two. Funny part about it is, Billy splashes like crazy in the pool, but Bekah splashes more in the bath tub. :)

Hope you enjoy the pictures and the update. :)

Hockey League - Game 2

2009-06-12T08:43:00.004-05:00

So at the end of the post for last weeks game, I said "If we learn how each other play, and get used to being out there together, we should be alright." Well, apparently we haven't learned enough yet, because I think we might have played worse. We actually started the game fairly well, but it was apparent pretty quick that the other team just out matched us in the skill department. It didn't help that we were still having trouble doing the small things like line changes and staying in our positions. There were times when I was out as an offensive player and I would have to collapse to our net to make up for the bad positioning/play of the defenseman. And this was after I had just led a rush the other direction where I had no one to pass to. Karrie and the kids came this week, which was really nice. It was fun to look over and see them, especially because it was so painful to look at my team on the rink : ( Oh, and Bekah does not like the cage on my helmet! She started to cry both times I got close to her with it on lol. Another factor that didn't help our cause was our goalie. I am grateful he played for us, as he had just finished his first game right before ours. The problem was, he was very tired and it appeared that he stopped trying about halfway through the game. So two weeks in a row now we've played bad as a team and have had a goalie playing two games in a row letting in soft goals. With that in mind, I decided to step up and tell everyone that I'm playing goal this next week. Not only will it help with stopping the lame shots that were going in on Wed, but it will also take one person off our very cramped bench. For some reason, they added an 11th player to our roster. That's too many for an inline team. The only bummer about playing goalie, it takes me off the rink as a player, which we still need. Overall, I think my presence in net will do more to help us win though, and it will help me get back in the goalie mindset for when I try to play on an ice team. Oh, and that final score....11-1...OUCH!!

Hockey League - Game 1

2009-06-05T09:27:00.005-05:00

Alright, I said I would keep everyone posted on my inline hockey league and we had our first game Wednesday night. I'm playing on a house team, for those of you that don't know, a house team is made up of a bunch of people that signed up individually and are just thrown on a team. We've never met before, let alone played on a team together. This can make for some interesting challenges. First off, I had to sign up for the Beginner level league because of my work schedule. You can get skill ranges from true beginner to fairly decent all in the beginner league. We don't have anyone on our team that is as skilled as Bob, but a few of them are alright. We also have some that are very weak skaters and you can tell that inline is new to them. We also had all 10 players show up for the first game, which was actually a bit of a bad thing. With all of us being new to each other, and many new to organized hockey, it was a bit chaotic. There were a few guys (some of the decent players) that were getting quite frustrated and they let that get to them. Overall we played ok for our first game, especially considering the circumstances, but ended up losing 5-2 according to the official standings. I played fairly good for my first time in quite a while, and I could tell pretty quick that I'm one of the best players on the team. For those of you that used to watch our Chiefs team at SoccerZone in Portage, our old team would have destroyed this house team. All in all, I still had fun getting out there and playing, and one of the guys has taken the initiative to try and organize lines for next game based on skill. If we learn how each other play, and get used to being out there together, we should be alright.

Baby Dedication

2009-06-03T18:37:00.007-05:00

Baby Dedication - May 24, 2009 from Johnny Cook on Vimeo.

On Sunday, May 24th Bekah and Billy were dedicated at our church. They have posted it, so I thought I'd share it with you. We are so happy to have found such a wonderful church to call home. If you don't want to watch all of the dedications, we are at 4min 10sec.

Speaking of Hockey.....

2009-05-29T11:02:00.001-05:00

GO WINGS!!!!!!!!!!

Bill Playing Hockey

2009-05-29T10:24:00.003-05:00

It has been a really long time since I've played hockey on a consistent basis. When we first moved down to NC I tried to play a few times here and there but never got into a league. With my first job traveling, and then the birth of the kids, it was really hard to find the time to join a league. Well I finally decided it had been too long and I'm going to get back to playing again. I don't travel anymore for work, and the kids are getting old enough where it's fun to take them out and do things.
I really enjoy playing both as a Player and as a Goalie, but I just recently purchased some new goalie equipment so I started off with that first. For those of you that might remember, I had a problem with my left thumb when closing my glove, so the new equipment was to allow me to switch to catching with my right hand instead. This has worked out very well so far, my thumb doesn't hurt anymore and my play seems to have stayed at the same level. I also found a steal on a new set of leg pads that actually fit me the way I like (my old ones were too big for my tastes) and a new chest protector that fit better and allowed for better ventilation. I've played a few pickup games and/or practices on ice and am really enjoying it. Two problems though....first, I am waaay out of shape lol and second, both ice rinks just started their summer sessions and I was too late to make a team. Still desperately wanting to get back to playing, I'm turning to my first love and joined a house team at the inline rink. Karrie and I figured it's probably been around 4 years since I played a league as a player not a goalie. I'm really looking forward to playing again, especially as a player. Goalie is great, I love the challenge and I really like learning the new position, but I started out as a player. It will be a fun way to get back in shape and be able to play without worrying about my positioning or not making a save. I can just go 'play'.
I posted some pictures of a recent pickup game of my in goal, and a practice session that Bob and I did where I skated on ice for the first time as a player. Boy is that different then inline lol!! My first inline game is this coming Wednesday, June 3rd and I'll post on what happens. Hopefully Karrie and the kids can make it to some of the games and we can get some pictures up of that too!

9 Months Old

2009-05-24T16:03:00.002-05:00

Bekah and Billy are really getting big. Daily we are amazed by their smiles, cries, new "tricks" and all of the love and joy that comes with parenting. A year ago I was praying that I would be able to carry them as long as possible, now I'm praying we don't have any major injury. Billy is fearless and uses his head to explore the world and to "break" his falls. This ends in lots of tears. Bekah also has her share of the falls around the house. They have discovered that they can pull up on anything and everything and that they can walk from one thing to another if they can still reach. This results in quite a few of the falls but they continue to venture.

We have to get gates up soon. So far they haven't even ventured towards the stairs, but it won't be long. When they have clothing on their knees they love to crawl on the kitchen floor because they can go very fast, just dragging their legs behind. The kitchen has become a not so safe area. This morning Billy pinced his fingers in the cupboard door when he used it to pull up on and it closed with a finger inside. We are going to get gates and other safety stuff tomorrow. They both have ventured towards the dog dishes. Now, I know that dog food probably won't hurt them, but I'm more afraid of them choking on the food. We are looking for gates that have easy open doors for us. We have a normal gate, but it is annoying to step over and to take down everytime Kaylee wants in the kitchen.

I have 11 days with my students left and then a few work days. I can't believe that this year is almost over. I have worked at my school now for over 2 years. I will be starting my 3rd year of teaching this fall. I have learned so much about myself, teaching and life in the past few years.

A few weeks ago we attended baby dedication class at our church. The same day we attended membership class and applied for membership. It is nice feeling that we have a place that we belong. It has been very hard leaving our church in MI (KMC we miss you), but we know that God has plans for us here. It was hard for us to step out of our comfort zones and to seek a new church home. It has been a long jorney looking for a church, but we feel led to our new church home. Thanks to all of our friends and family that have been praying for us on this jorney.

Please pray for us concerning Billy. The kids stopped their axid reflux at 6 months old. When Billy was on the meds and now that he is off, his amount of spitting up has not decreased. Bekah pretty much grew out of it. She may spit up once a week or something but nothing like Billy. The drs tell us that they want to wait till he is a year old and see how he is then. They don't think he needs to go back on his medicine (didn't notice a differnce with the spit up) so now we just wait and see. Pray that we know what to do and if we should seek a second opinion.

2009-05-22T18:29:00.001-05:00

Billy and Kaylee playing together.

2009-05-17T16:47:00.004-05:00

Billy was very sleepy and daddy was ready to take him upstairs to bed.

Mommy's new toy!

2009-05-14T17:47:00.004-05:00

For Mother's Day, Daddy and kids spoiled mommy rotten. I have been getting very frustrated with our camera and my wonderful husband noted my comments. He went out and got me a wonderful Canon Rebel XSi and a zoom lense. I love it and I'm learning some of the many features it has to offer. I now know what will take up most of my summer. (camera+kids=fun). Here are just a few of the new shots. Please take it easy on me, I'm still learning.

8 month old fun!!!

2009-05-07T18:19:00.003-05:00

Our fun times sure have changed. We are teething and each have our bottom left tooth. We chew on everything even moving things like mommy and daddy. Pulling up in the crib is a blast, so is climbing on mommy and daddy. The chairs are fun to pull up on too. We miss everyone, hope to see ya soon.

Bekah has her first bottom tooth and the second is almost through, I'd give it a day or two. She waves bye with her right arm. Her face lights up the room when she smiles. We find her sleeping in some of the strangest positions in her crib.

Billy also has his first bottom tooth, it showed up about 4 days after sisters'. His next bottom tooth isn't far behind. He is pulling up like a pro. He started out with just going up to his knees, now he makes it all the way standing without problems.

The favorite new toy of the house is the spring door stop (one in hall and one in kitchen) and the cords to daddy's electronics. Pretty much everthing they shouldn't play with, including daddy's game cases.

Bill and I look at them in awe and wonder where the time has gone. We went to our church memebership class last sunday and applied for membership. We also went to the baby dedication class for Bekah and Billy's dedication on May 24th. We are very excited and for thoes of you that won't be able to be there we will provide you with the link to our church's website that will have it up to watch the video.

We miss everyone and please keep praying for us. Both of our jobs are trying to stay secure and we are both taking pay cuts. It is very hard to do with raising twins, but we are so thankful that we didn't lose our jobs or have lay offs. God Bless.

Many of the pictures have captions, be sure to read.

We have a....

2009-04-25T06:29:00.004-05:00

hole. According to Daddy it is just a hole. According to Mommy it is a tooth. Bekah broke the skin in her gums. Her bottom left tooth is through the skin, and you can see it a little bit. Until it is up above the skin Daddy said it isn't a tooth. So, we have a hole/tooth. :)

It has been a while...

2009-04-23T20:26:00.007-05:00

We enjoyed spring break in Michigan with friends and family. Bekah and Billy were dedicated at the church Bill and I were married in.

The kids got to enjoy their first bath in a tub.

We were able to introduce the kids to many of our friends and some family that they have never met before.

When we got home, we celebrated Easter the first time as a family of four. It was a very special day. Bill and I had fun explaining Easter to Bekah and Billy even though they had no clue what we were talking about.

Since we have been back in North Carolina, the kids are not only sitting up on their own, but crawling and going from belly to sitting no problem. It is amazing all of the changes they have gone through just in the past month.

Bekah and Billy turned 8 months old today. Our house is not the same now that they are mobile. The smiles, laughs, and the tears are all worth it. They now are reaching for us to pick them up, learning to wave, and greet us with smiles. We are so blessed to have our miracles.

Before we forget to show you pictures. Bill was in an accident with the Sunfire (not his fault) and we replaced the Focus with a Taurus. Here are a few pictures.

What a week!

2009-03-28T19:20:00.005-05:00

Bill's dad and Jackie got us the kids next size up car seats for us for Christmas. We tried instaling them and there was no way that was going to happen in our Focus. We could get one seat in, but no way to get two.

On Tuesday we headed to BabiesRUs to try out other options. We tried EVERY seat in the store. We couldn't see any seats that would fit 2 in our backseat. We headed home discouraged and frustrated. After talking about it for a while, we considered purchasing a new car.

Wednesday we headed to Carmax to try out the car seat in different vehicles. We found a couple vans that we liked and returned home. After talking about our needs and money we started thinking about a different car. Bob and Erica came over while the kids were sleeping so that we could go back up there and look at a larger car. After looking over a Taurus and taking it out for a dirve, we decided to see what the financing would look like. We had no idea that we would be driving our new car home that night. Bob and Erica were expecting us home around 9 and we had to call them because we didn't end up getting out of there till 11. I didn't make it to bed till 12:30 and was back up at 5:30 am.

Friday Bill and I decided to meet up at our favorite pizza place for dinner. On our way there, I was talking to Bill on the phone and heard a loud sound on the other end of the phone. Instantly I felt sick. Bill confirmed my worst thought, he was just hit. After he got the car pulled off 85 and called 911, he called me back to let me know he was ok. He was stopped because of the traffic and the person behind him didn't stop.

My poor Sunfire. It was rear ended by a college student, backed into by a school bus and now rear ended. WOW. Bill and I counted that he has been in a rear ended accident 4 times.

Now for the good news. Since we have a larger car, we will be leaving bright and early on Saturday morning and heading to Michigan. We will be there for about a week. :)

What an event filled week.

7 Months Old

2009-03-23T19:56:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure where the past 7 months have gone. We have talking, smiling, rolling, drooling and giggling little ones. If we leave the room for 1 minute, we never know where we are going to find the kids. Now it is time to really baby proof the house. Too many things to get into. Some of their favorite toys are the dog toys. I'm thinking about putting the baby gate up and having Kaylee keep her toys in the kitchen until the kids go to bed. I'll have to think on that one some more.

Things Returning to 'Normal'

2009-03-17T08:27:00.007-05:00

What a hectic two weeks that just was! Mom had her spring break the week of March 2nd and decided to come down to see the kids. Mom and Dad (Brent) got in around 6pm on Wednesday and stayed till Monday morning. It was really nice getting to see them, but it also makes us home sick too. We had a lot of fun while they were down. Bob and Erica took us all to Kings Mountain National Military Park, and we learned about the Revolutionary battle that took place there. We also did the shorter hike up the mountain to the memorial on top. We'll have to post some pictures, but it looks like a mini Washington Monument. It was a gorgeous day both Saturday when we went to the park and Sunday when we went to a shopping center in Charlotte that was on a boardwalk. We also went out to eat for my birthday while at the boardwalk, which was wonderful. It was nice to eat with family this year, I missed that last year.

Monday was my birthday, and for the first time I think it actually started to hit me that I'm getting 'old' as my brother likes to say. Maybe it was having the kids, or maybe because I'm closer to 30 then 20 now :( Regardless of how 'old' I am now, it was 82 degrees and sunny on my birthday!!!! It is NEVER nice on my birthday (downside of living in Michigan for most of your life). Karrie and the kids met up with me in Charlotte for some food after work and then we drove home, windows down sunroof open. Boy did that feel great.

Ben and his new girlfriend Carolyn came down on Thursday to visit. Ben hadn't seen the kids yet, so it was really nice to have him down. We had Meloney come over and watch the kids Saturday night and the six of us (Ben, Carolyn, Bob, Erica, Karrie and I) all went skating at the local roller rink. Holy Highschool Hangout Batman!! The place was packed, but still had a good time skating. Sunday we all went to church, and Karrie and I passed a large milestone. We had the kids go to the nursery during service for the first time. I think Forest Pointe is starting to grow on me the more we go, hopefully we can say our search is over soon. Ben really wanted to play hockey with Bob and I as it had been well over a year since we all laced 'em up together. Our plan hit a temporary snag when I decided to fall my way up the stairs with Billy in the afternoon. I stubbed my toe going up the stairs and just about got my balance back when my knee bashed into another one. As a result, Billy started to fall out of my arms headfirst. I reacted as quickly as I could and got my right arm under his neck/back and my left grabbed his feet. I slammed down hard on the stairs and slid down a few, but Billy never touched them. All I could do was roll over and cry, a combination of the immense pain radiating from my arm and knee and the worry about my son. Karrie came rushing down the stairs, scooped up Billy and checked us both out. He was fine, not a bump on him, but the same couldn't be said for me. I had a goose egg on my knee and forearm, and was really hurting in my elbow. We iced everything down, but my elbow was still hurting in a odd spot. I called Dad up for some expertise, and he came to the conclusion that there was most like just some tissue damage (tendon/muscle) but nothing more. He told me to take some motrin and only do what doesn't hurt. I would try flexing it around for a few minutes to see how it would feel, and as the night went on it slowly felt better. When it came time for us to leave for hockey, I decided it probably best not to go. About a half hour after Bob and Ben left, Karrie turned to me and asked "What's wrong?" I apparently had a sad look on my face and I told her that I really wanted to go play. I tested out my elbow some more, and it didn't feel too bad, so I grabbed my stuff and headed for the rink. If it started to hurt, I could always stop, but at least I would be there with the guys. The elbow was fine all night and we had a great time. Definitely worth the chance, at least till today. Oh man does my whole body hurt lol!!! I hadn't played hockey since last Apr/May and my body is letting me know it.

So here we are, two weeks later and trying to return to our 'routine.' Without that, the kids get cranky and Karrie and I go insane! But we had a great time with everyone, and wouldn't change a thing (ok, except maybe that whole stair thing lol).

Happy St. Patrick's Day Everyone!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2009-03-09T05:13:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Daddy,

We had so much fun this weekend. Thanks for taking us outside to play. We noticed your cake, can we have some too? Hope you have a great day today and can't wait to see you when you get home. We love you daddy.

Love,

Bekah and Billy

Two hour delay

2009-03-04T06:11:00.002-05:00

After two snow days, we have a two hour delay. Since I have to be at school at normal time, I'm going to try to get lesson plans fixed from the missed two days. I hope and pray that the roads aren't too bad on my way in today. I know there has been a bunch of black ice out there. I'm so excited, Dad and Deb are going to be here this evening and staying the weekend with us. We haven't seen them since Christmas and are excited to spend time with them.

Guess what!!!

2009-03-02T20:18:00.003-05:00

Do you know what is better than a snow day? Two snow days in a row. :) Yes, I get tomorrow off from work too. I guess we ended up getting over 6inches lastnight, and now the slush is freezing again. The roads are a mess, so I have been told. I ran to the store quick and the parking lot was full of ice (frozen slush) I almost fell while I was holding onto our car. Bill also gets to work from home tomorrow. :) We are so thankful that he doesn't have to try to drive with the possible black ice out there.

Snow part 2

2009-03-02T08:14:00.002-05:00

This morning we woke up to around 4 inches of snow. Here are some pictures from this morning. I'm very thankful that I have a snow day today because Billy was up every hr last night except for one 2 hour stretch. I'm not sure what was going on, it wasn't just because he wanted his paci. Who knows?

Hope you have a great day!

SNOW!!!

2009-03-01T22:33:00.004-05:00

We have snow in N.C. Not only do we have snow, but I have a SNOW DAY and Bill gets to work from home because of the snow. At the moment we have at least 2 inches of snow and they are calling for 4-6 total. We decided to take the kids out for their first real snow. They weren't really sure what to think of it. Bob got Bill in the face with a snow ball, they had a blast running around like kids (Bill and Bob). It was a fun evening.

It isn't every day that...

2009-03-01T19:04:00.002-05:00

...your 6 month old son shows you something new on your favorite video game. Bill was playing one of his games with Billy on his lap and letting him play with the buttons. Billy hit a button or two and showed Bill something new.

...snow falls in North Carolina for the 2nd time this year. The storm has just started and there is quite a bit adding up already. Bill already knows that he gets to work from home and now I'm just waiting to see if school is cancled. I'm sure something will happen, just not sure if it will be a delay or what.

6 month check up

2009-03-01T18:57:00.003-05:00

Bekah and Billy went in for their 6 month check up and shots. Bekah weighs 14lb 4oz and is 25 1/4 inches long. Billy is 16lb 12oz and is 25 3/4 inches long. Meloney was great and offered to go along and give me a couple extra hands. Here is a cute picture of naked babies with their Meloney :)

6 Months Old

2009-02-27T20:49:00.005-05:00

It seems like it was just yesterday that Bill and I found out we were expecting. I was just thinking back to the day that I found out I was carrying twins. I knew that it was a possibility and honestly I had a deep down feeling the day that I took the home pregnancy test that it was twins.

Nothing prepared me for what was to come. I was relived that our long journey to parenthood and all of the fertility treatments were over. What I didn't realize was that all the new worries of a high risk pregnancy were just around the corner. I had a few scares, an ending to my first full year of teaching on modifided bedrest, a summer of bedrest and preterm labor and then the laughter of scheduling my induction.

Many days I would rest on the couch and feel each baby move inside me. I dreamed about what they would look like, and who they would take their traits from. Those moments were beautiful and amazing. I wish I could go back and experience it all over again, the time went way too fast.

On our trip to Michigan last April, Bill and I had the huge discussion about what we should name the babies. At that time we didn't know their genders and knew we didn't want to name one son William III if we had two boys. On the way back from Michigan we picked out our two boy names, two girl names and one of each. The day of our ultrasound we were overwhelmed with emotions when we found out that we were blessed with one of each. We knew at that moment they were our little Bekah and Billy. The funny part about this is when Bill and I were dating, summer of 2001, Bill and I said those were the names we would like to name our future children. We spent all that time driving to Michigan and back talking about names we didn't even use. :)

After a couple false alarms I knew when we were ready for delivery. On their birthday I woke up and was "leaking" very similar as before, but I just knew something was different. I remember sitting in the bathroom at 3:45 am thinking "my water just broke." The next thought was what is the date. I realized that my children were going to be born on August 23rd. I don't know why that was so important to me, but it was.

Over the past 1/2 a year we have been through so many different emotions. We experienced the birth of our two wonderful miracles and all the joys and worries that go along with that. We had colic, reflux, RSV and other small things. Right along with it has been the best smiles, grins, "talking", laughing, rolling, "crawling", scooting, jumping, swinging, snuggling, cuddling and even tears.

Thanks for enjoying the first 6 months with us, and hope you enjoy the tales of the rest of the journey :)

Baby Wrestling

2009-02-22T22:15:00.003-05:00

This is why we don't leave the kids too close to each other on the floor. Moments before these pictures they were both laying on their backs talking and making faces. All it took was Billy rolling over and realizing that he could reach his sister. They were having so much fun, but we had to break it up when they started scratching faces. It was cute while it lasted though. :)

New look

2009-02-16T20:20:00.004-05:00

I decided to get a little crafty and play with the blog design. The background is one that I downloaded, but the header is one that I created on my own. I'm thinking that I'm going to give up scrapbooking regularly and start digital scrapbooking. I'm loving some of the stuff out there and the ideas I have come up with already. I hope that I can have some time soon to work on albums for the kids. As you have probably read in my last post, the last statement is pretty much a joke. :)

A day in the life

2009-02-16T06:16:00.002-05:00

Many have asked "How do you do it?" and my usual reply is "you just do."

Here is a glimpse of my day.

5:45 Get out of bed, let Kaylee out (unless she decides to stay in bed with daddy), put ice pack in bottle bag (for pumping), put ice pack in my lunch box, make my breakfast, put bottles in kids bag, get a glass of water.

6:00 Eat breakfast while pumping, go over the "to do" list for the day, check email for work and personal, look over lesson plans

6:20 Take my breakfast dishes to the sink, put milk in the fridge, load pumping bag, get all of the kids bags ready, get car seats ready, brush teeth, use the restroom

6:30 Jump in the shower, do my hair, give both kids meds, wake bill up to get the kids in their seats, get dressed.

7:00 Double check kids bags (check for diapers, wipes, bottles, cereal, clothes), 1st trip to the car: load bags, 2nd trip to the car: load Bekah, 3rd trip to the car:load Billy and we are off.

7:15ish Arrive at Meloney's house, bring kids in, debrief Meloney on kids night and anything else important.

7:25ish Head to school, run through mental "to-do" list see what is important

7:35ish Arrive at school, unload my bags, remember that I forgot to grade papers or something else the night before, make sure classroom is ready for the day, get my computer up and running, check work email again.

7:45 Use the restroom, sign in, check work mail box.

7:50 Pick up my students and start my day.

8:00 Morning meeting

8:15 Math meeting

8:30 Math

9:15 Specials (Art, Music, Computer, PE, Media, Guidance) Tuesdays and Thursdays I have meetings, the other three days I meet with parents, staff or get things done.

9:55 Small math groups

10:30 Writing

11:00 Read aloud

11:10 Recess

11:40 Lunch

12:00 Restroom, get ready for the afternoon

12:15 Shared reading begins

12:45 Guided reading

1:45 Content/ICU (I teach SS/Science)

2:15 Pack up, review the day, any last minute instructions/reminders

2:25 Dismiss students for 1st load, car riders/walkers, get 2nd load students ready and dismissed to classrooms.

3ish take 2nd load students to the bus

3:15-4ish get ready for the next day, work on lesson plans for the next few weeks, make copies, phone calls, meet with grade level, any meetings (parents or staff)

4ish leave to pick up kids

4:30ish get home, feed kids cereal, playtime

5:00ish put kids down for a nap, unload my bags and kids bags, fold laundry, wash clothes, unload dishwasher, load dishwasher, pick up kitchen and living room, clean kitchen and living room, make my lunch and Bill's lunch, put cereal in bowls for kids lunch, put milk in bottles inf ridge, pack kids bags (all while running upstairs putting pacifiers back in mouths)

6:00ish kids get up and play, entertain kids and start dinner, work on school stuff if I can, eat dinner and play with kids

7:00 bath for kids

7:30 bottles, diaper change and pjs (some nights bath and bottles are in revers order)

8:00ish cuddle with kids, rock for a few minutes, take upstairs, put in sleep sack, turn on music and vaporizer, cover with blankies and give pacifiers, run back upstairs as needed to give pacifiers.

8:30 pick up living room and kitchen, watch a show with Bill, fold laundry

9:30 pump and go over the next day's "to-do" list

10:00 wash bottles and pumping parts, put milk in the fridge, get ready for bed.

10:30 try to be in bed, Bill has pacifier duty till he goes to bed, since Bill doesn't hear the kids most nights, I have pacifier duty till I get up (may only be 1 or 2 times, or 15, who knows).

I know I have forgotten a few things, but here is a glimpse of my day. Hope you have enjoyed a day in the life of a twin mom. Are you tired yet? ;)

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2009-02-15T21:39:00.001-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day from the Brands!!!

William Glenn

2009-02-15T21:32:00.003-05:00

William has discovered the best entertainment ever...his toes. He loves playing and talking with them. He has become the rolling master. He has started "crawling" he puts his head down on the floor, gets up on his knees and scoots across the floor. Can we say "rug burn"? Thankfully he doesn't do it all that often. He comes up with the cheesiest faces and grins. He loves to be tickled and will laugh forever.

Rebekah Marie

2009-02-15T21:24:00.003-05:00

Rebekah is getting so big and such a joy. She attacks the spoon when you feed her, full of smiles and laughs. Her latest is laying on the floor on her back and trying to look at whatever is behind her. She stretches her neck as far back as she can while picking her shoulders up off the floor. One of the pictures shows a little of what she has been doing, but it doesn't do it true justice. She is getting so big. You never know what position you are going to find Bekah sleeping in. :)

This is what we do when Mommy and Daddy are working. Fun at Meloney's house!!!

2009-02-15T21:18:00.003-05:00

Brand Family Visit

2009-02-15T21:02:00.003-05:00

Carrots

2009-02-15T21:02:00.001-05:00

A little (lot) late. 5 months old!

2009-02-15T21:00:00.000-05:00

Hello?!?!?! Anybody home?

2009-02-11T19:38:00.002-05:00

This is directed more towards our family, WHERE'S THE COMMENTS?!?!?! It'd be really nice to get some feedback from everyone on the posts and pictures. Sometimes it feels like we're posting for Caspers sake. Feel free to make requests for certain things (i.e. bath pics, jumpy vids, etc), or just let us know that you think it's funny to see the kids preparing for the upcoming alien invasion (the last two pictures of the last post). It'd just be nice to feel like everyone is reading and enjoying the blog and that it's not a waste of our time.

Thanks,
Bill and Karrie

2009-02-09T06:12:00.001-05:00

Back form the Dr.

2009-02-06T21:02:00.004-05:00

As we thought, Bekah has RSV too. She is a few days behind Billy. Billy is very congested but he isn't really wheezing too bad. At this time he isn't showing any signs of pneumonia. The dr was very surprised on how well he was doing considering how congested he is. He was also surprised that he doesn't have an ear infection since they go hand in hand. With a baby this young and this congested, it is very rare that he isn't hospitalized(that is what the dr said). He is doing great considering his symptoms and the dr was just amazed(as good as an rsv baby can be).

We have to keep pushing the fluids(both don't like eating very much),doing breathing treatments, checking temperatures and Bekah will probably end up with an ear infection along with it(goes hand in hand with RSV).

I'm exhausted from having a caughing baby sleeping next to me, worrying if he can still breathe or not. With every caughing fit, I put my hand on his chest to make sure he is ok. Now it looks like I will have two babies next to me.

Update

2009-02-06T17:12:00.003-05:00

Sorry it has been a while since we have last updated. We just had a great weekend with Dad, Jackie and Dottie. Towards the end of the weekend, we started to notice Billy was getting pretty stuffy.

On Tuesday Bill took Billy into the dr and he was diagnosed with RSV. We now give him breathing treatments 3 times a day to help him breathe. He is misrable but making it. He will be going into the dr in a few min for a recheck and we are taking Bekah with us to see if she has it too(showing the same symptoms).

We have been very busy with a sick baby and now we probably have two.

Bekah's First Cereal

2009-01-17T12:18:00.001-05:00

Billy's First Cereal

2009-01-17T12:15:00.000-05:00

Around the house

2009-01-17T12:08:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-01T15:27:00.005-05:00

Uncle Bobby and Auntie E got us our NYE outfits. We look so cute in them. Mommy couldn't help herself when she saw such cute NYE bibs.

Bill and I were talking last night about all of the things that we have gone through in the past year. We found out we were pregnant, then discovered it was twins. Prayed that I wouldn't have complications with the pregnancy. Had some scary expriences while pregnant. Delivered healthy babies, experienced collic, GERD(acid reflux), sleepless nights, holding heads up, first smiles, first laughs, first sleeping through the night, soaking mom at bath times, playing video games with daddy, more diapers and spit up than you can imagine. Through it all, we are enjoying every moment of parenting, the laughs, the tears and all of the fears are worth it. We are very blessed and excited to see all of the changes the kids will go through in 2009. God bless!

We have a sitter....sorta

2009-01-01T14:58:00.001-05:00

Billy is doing a great job sitting up with help. He had so much fun sitting up after his morning bottle. :)

4mo check up

2008-12-29T17:16:00.003-05:00

Today we had our 4 month check up. It started out as a normal day until I realized that I couldn't find my keys. I had the kids loaded and ready to head out to the car when I noticed that my keys weren't hanging on the hook by the door. I called Bob and Erica and Auntie E came to our rescue. She brought our spare key to lock the house and drove the kids and me to the drs. Auntie E gets another gold star(she now has 2 if you are counting).

Bekah is now weighing in at 12lbs and is 23 1/2 inches long. Billy is now weighing in at 14lb 5oz and is 24 inches long. Both are doing exactly what they should for their age and are very healthy. We are adjusting their reflux meds a little, but other than that things are great.

We were given the ok to start solids in the next few months. I'm sure that will be quite the adventure. Now we have to figure out where to put the high chairs. We NEED a house. Everywhere you turn there is baby stuff and no room to do anything. I know it is only going to get worse when they get older.

Houston we have a spitter

2008-12-28T21:36:00.002-05:00

Billy has discovered that he can blow raspberries. He blows his spit and then laughs at the sound he made. Uncle Bobby discovered this weekend that Billy is ticklish under his arm pits and laughs out loud when tickled. He also enjoys being tossed (gently) into the air. He laughs out loud at that too. We believe he is starting to work on getting some teeth in. He always has his hands in his mouth and is chewing with a goal. He is standing and sitting with support.

Bekah also enjoys being tossed up in the air. She has such a sweet laugh. She is doing great with sitting and standing with support. We believe that she isn't too far behind brother with her teeth. She is starting to put her hands in her mouth and chewing on her fingers. Her drool volume is starting to increase. We go through quite a few bibs a day between both kids.

Mommy is enjoying time off from work, but is realizing that Christmas break isn't long enough. We had a wonderful Christmas with our family that was able to visit. Grandpa Holtz got into a fun routine of having babies in bed with him while mommy made the bottles. Once Grandma found out, she asked if she could join in on the fun. So, we made a pit stop with Grandma, shared kisses and smiles, then made our way downstairs to Grandpa.

We are looking forward to our continuing Christmas celebration with Grandma and Grandpa Brand and Dottie coming up in Jan/Feb. We can't wait to share our growing bundles of joy with them.

Since Bekah and Billy were born, we have swaddled them when they sleep(naps and bed time). Now that they are getting older, we are going to try to wean them from that. Billy fell asleep tonight in the bouncer, so I carried him upstairs and put him down w/o being swaddled. We will have to see how long he sleeps like that. I'm sure this will be quite the process for the Brand babies, but we will see. I hope and pray they surprise us.

Our First Christmas

2008-12-27T21:48:00.002-05:00

Christmas Eve

2008-12-27T18:43:00.002-05:00

4 Months Old!

2008-12-24T10:01:00.001-05:00

Christmas Vacation

2008-12-23T08:01:00.003-05:00

I remember as a kid looking forward to Christmas Vacation. It always consited of sleeping in, making cookies and eating way too much sugar. I started off the traditions yesterday with the kids. I put them in the jumperoo and a bouncer in the kitchen while I made fudge. They had no clue what we were doing, but it was fun. I think they enjoyed the new senery. Today we are going to try to make cookies and pretzel treats. Brent and Deb will be here this afternoon and we are so excited.

Bekah and Billy are now 4 months old. :) I forgot to mention in my last post their weights. Bekah is weighing in at 11lb 10oz and Billy is 14lb. Both are growing great. We will get all of the new measurements and stuff on Monday when they have their 4 mo. check up and shots.

I will try to get 4mo pictures up soon. :)

Yesterday....

2008-12-22T06:58:00.005-05:00

was quite the day. Both kids had been sick since Wednesday, and they just weren't shaking it. I called the dr and got them both in. Our appt was scheduled for 10:30 and we arrived around 10:20. Thankfully Erica went with me so that I didn't have both kids by myself. I didn't think that the visit would take too long, but brought bottles for a feeding just in case. Their next feeding should be around 12.

After waiting in the waiting room for quite a while, about 11:45 we were taken back to our room. Erica and I played with the kids on the table, they got to rip the paper(practicing for Christmas). Both kids started fussing and we knew it was time to feed them. Sure enough, as we started feeding them, the dr walks in. By this time the kids had ate their last feeding at 8 and didn't get in their normal nap. They ate their bottles while the dr checked them out. They screamed while the bottles were out of their mouths because they were hungry and needed a nap.

They had to have the RSV test (swab stuck in their nose and down the back of their throat) and that was pure torture. The part that went inside was about 3 inches long. Then they told us that they wanted urine samples. This involved cleaning them off with iodine, and placing a bag on them to catch their sample. Just after we got Bekah cleaned off, she peed all over the table (not in the bag). We had to put on the bag and wait for her to pee. She screamed bloody murder when she had her blood taken. The nurse had a hard time getting blood from her and now has quite the bruise. I'm not sure what upset her more, being held down or the poke.

Billy's turn was next. He was a trooper, he gave a few grunts as the nurse poked him. The first vein didn't give any blood, so he had to be poked twice. While she was getting his blood, he peed in the bag. It was almost like he knew what he was supposed to do.

After the poking and prodding was finished at the drs office, we had to head to the hospital for chest xrays. Bekah screamed her head off while Aunt Erica held her down. It was actually a good thing that she was screaming, because they had to do the xray when she took a deep breath in.

Billy, didn't fuss too much until I held him down. They had a hard time getting a good picture of his lungs because his breath in was quick and it was hard to time.

After hours of testing the poor kids, an exhausted mommy, and Erica returned home. The kids slept forever. They were making up all the sleep they lost. The results were good, it is a viral infection. We are thankful that it wasn't more than a virus, but feel bad that we had to put the kids through all of that. It is better to be safe.

What a day! Aunt Erica gets a gold star for all her help.

3 months old(Nov. 23rd-Dec. 21)

2008-12-21T22:02:00.005-05:00

3 Months, 3 Weeks, and 3 Days

2008-12-17T10:38:00.004-05:00

I just noticed on the ticker at the top that the kids are 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days old!

.....

Sorry, I found it amusing, proceed back to your normal day lol :)
-Bill

We are growing and changing!!!

2008-12-10T17:08:00.006-05:00

Ms. Rebekah Marie has been quite the silly little girl. She has learned the new trick of rolling from her tummy to her back. She starts crying when she hits her back because she wants to be on her tummy and roll over. She is fine if you put her on the floor on her back, but if you put her on her tummy, you better be ready to keep flipping her back over. She is full of whole face grins. She has started to "talk" and has a very girly voice. Her eye-hand coordination is amazing. She will look straight at her toy, reach up and grab onto it. She bats at toys that are around her too. Every morning she is full of smiles when we wake her up. When she is unwrapped from her swaddle, she stretches like a big girl and pretty much does a back bend on her crib. This morning when daddy went in to give brother his pacifier, he found Bekah at a 45 degree angle. Picture this, she is swaddled tight, laying in a sleep positioner. She has moved her head from where it was, all the way to the crib rails with her forehead pressed against the rails(left a dent for a little while). Her feet are now kicking her brother in his legs. She is quite the mover. She is also trying to roll herself over while she is in the swing. She likes to have her face snuggled into a blanket (or even the crib rails). Bekah still doesn't have much hair, and the hair she does have is a mixture of blonde, red and light brown.

Mr. William Glenn is our vocal man. He always has something to say and will often crack himself up. He will sit in his chair or lay on the floor and "talk" to his toys. When you talk to him, he gives you a huge grin and shys his face away. His cackle is to die for. Last night at bath time, I showed him how to move his legs in the tub. This was a bad idea. He kicked so much that water hit me in the face, was all down my shirt and ended up all over the floor. I couldn't stop laughing and so he started laughing. This created a crazy circle of laughs. Neither one of us could stop. He doesn't mind if the water gets into his eyes, but he sputters if it ends up in his mouth. He thinks that everything mommy and daddy does is funny. When we dry him off from his bath, he laughs as we rub the towel on him. His favorite part is when you dry his hair. His hair is starting to come in more and it looks dark brown/black. Such the handsome little man. Billy is the calm baby and is very relaxed. He loves watching football with daddy and listening to mommy and daddy play rock band. He gives quite the look to Bekah when she is crying and he is trying to sleep. Billy loves to sleep and could sleep all day like daddy if you let him. He has a whole face grin that is to die for and an Elvis smirk that is hilarious. He loves his pacifier and is instantly calm when you give it to him. If he doesn't have his pacifier, he tries to shove his fist into his mouth to chew on. Some days we think he just might get it all in there.

Reflux is starting to become more manageable. They each get their dose of Prevacid first thing in the morning. They are starting to do better with taking their meds. I think their med was mixed differently this time and was a little better flavored. We aren't going through quite as much laundry, only about 1 load every other day to every day. Before it was 1-3 loads daily.

Mommy and daddy are getting into a good routine with the kids and household chores. We each do our part to keep the house running and to stay sane. It isn't easy, but we take it in stride. The kids love their sitter and we love her just as much as they do. It is such a blessing to have such a wonderful person take care of our kids. Someone who has adopted them as their own and loves them like we do. We don't know what we would do without her, she is such a God send.

Kaylee has finally adjusted to life with a brother and sister. At first she didn't really like sharing her mommy and daddy time, now she knows when the kids go to bed it is kaylee time. She loves it when we get home every day. She runs and greets the kids still in their car seats. Some days she even gives them kisses. The kids think she is pretty cool too.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We were able to spend it with Brent, Deb, Grandma Heldt, Bob, Erica and Jen (a friend of Erica's from college that lives down here). We had a blast playing and laughing together. Grandmas and Grandpa were able to enjoy play times, bath time and feeding times with the kids. They got to share a bunch of fun times with us. We have a bunch of fun memories of our time together.

Our Christmas tree is set up and ready to go. A few days after we set it up, the kids started to notice the lights. They now look at it in awe and stare at the lights. Kaylee wasn't sure what to think when we started decorating the house. We had all the boxes out and were unpacking things and she seemed to be unsure of what was happening. When things were all put away, she was much happier. We keep soft ornaments at the bottom of the tree, because Kaylee doesn't have control over her built in whip. If she does, and has us fooled, she doesn't demonstrate control. :)

Bill and I find our selves staring at the kids in awe. They look like angels when they sleep, crack us up when they laugh, make us smile when they smile, and break our hearts when they are sick. Parenting has brought its share of concerns and questions, but it has also brought us the greatest blessings. We are so thankful for our two little miracles. We miss all of our friends and family in Michigan. It is hard being so far away from everyone.

We are looking forward to our first Christmas as a family. We are anticipating visits from family around Christmas and the months after. This Christmas has changed me. I look at the holiday differently as a mother. I think about what I want the kids to know about Christmas and what traditions I want to share with them. Bill and I are going to continue our tradition of opening one present on Christmas Eve (Christmas pjs) with the kids. I'm in search of the Christmas story in a children's book form to read on Christmas day with the kids. When they are older, I want to read it straight from the bible. I want to teach our kids the joy of giving to others and how the holidays are all about family and being thankful of everything we have.

We hope that everyone is doing well and that you have a wonderful Christmas with your families. God Bless!

The Brands
Bill, Karrie, Bekah, Billy and Kaylee

Around the House

2008-11-27T10:51:00.003-05:00

Videos!!!

2008-11-27T10:44:00.002-05:00

12 Weeks Old

2008-11-27T10:28:00.004-05:00

11 weeks old

2008-11-21T17:54:00.002-05:00

10 weeks old. First trip to the Mountains!

2008-11-08T18:38:00.002-05:00

9 weeks old!

2008-11-08T18:37:00.001-05:00

Bath Time

2008-10-25T12:07:00.002-05:00

Happy 2 Months Bekah and Billy

2008-10-25T12:06:00.000-05:00