Baby it's hot out there

The temperature gauge on my car said it was 99 degrees on the way to church.  With the humidity around here it means more like 110 in Phoenix speak.  This minus the moisture sucking wave that hits you upon first exposure.  Around here it is more like an immediate adding of moisture.   This brings me back to softball yesterday.  Have you ever noticed that shady sweat and sunny sweat smell completely different?...  Yeah, I know that sounds weird.  Think about it though.  Most of the time when I sweat it isn't really stinky.  However, on a hot sunny day when I'm actively working my body is completely offensive to me.  :-)  Maybe everyone else wasn't knocked out by me, but then my normal smeller is pretty sensitive like a pregnant woman's.  

Today is day three of blogging every day.  I'm realizing how much I missed blogging.  There are so many things that haven't been recorded in the last few months due to my lack of blogging.  Bummer.  One thing I forgot to mention is their two year stats.  They aren't the top of the charts like they used to be.  Blakie is coming in at only the 70th percentile and Mads is at the 90th.  They weigh about 33-35 pounds.  He is 35.5 inches tall, and she is 36.5.  The girl is still bigger then the boy.  The other day someone thought she was whining when he was since he still sounds like a girl too.  ha

Today we are in for a treat!  Guy got out the camera all on his own.  With his work schedule and the twins naps they stayed home from church.  He got them to play in the wiggly water sprayer.  They had a great time.

Blake is one of the most expressive people.  He also forges ahead with whatever is on his agenda.

Guy tells me he knew I'd love this shot when he took it.  I do.  She is holding herself so tall, but the little girl details of the chubby belly and around the knees.  And what is that expression?!  I'd love to know what she was plotting.  

Maybe it was this run through the water.

Auntie Corri will be happy to see the awesome shades she helped Madison pick out.  Anytime she wears these shades people stop us to comment on how adorable she is.  When our niece, Karissa, was visiting last week we went into a Claire's {or something like it} for the first time in her life.  Maddie was in super heaven!  She went from rack to rack trying on glasses, little purses, hats & anything else she could swipe off the shelf.  Karissa bought her some adorable butterfly earrings she has been proudly wearing ever since.  I think I'm going to be in trouble on the accessory front once she gets a little older.

There is nothing cuter then seeing these guys hold hands and make sure the other is doing well on their journey through life.  Just tonight Blake sat with Madison in her little chair made for one.  Each of the had a cheek hanging off one side of the chair, and he had his arm around her shoulder as they sat there.  They never let me get a picture of them being so sweet to each other.  

So cute.

The end of a season.

I have loved softball since I was a little girl.  Fortunately last year my old neighbor invited me out to play on a church league with her.  Oh YEAH!  Sadly our season came to an end tonight.  Happily we are the champs!  Everyone has gelled together so well with good natured ribbing & some great playing.  

So many people have helped out with the kids on the many evenings Guy has had to work during my games.  There were other kids of players, parents of players, spectators from the church & a few helpers I brought along.  On each occasion I tried to thank them up to the point of groveling {kidding}, but seriously there is a special place in my heart for each of my amazing helpers.  It has been great to get out there and play.  Playing sports is kinda my thing after photography.  I wish I could be doing some kind of organized sport at least once a week.  The kids have also certainly enjoyed their time with all the 'nanny's' and 'poppy's' {as they call anyone with grey hair} along with their love of just being out.  

A camera is not really something I want to worry about while playing and keeping an eye out for where the kids are.  This was the first time I was able to bring it to a game.  The moments before the championship match on tournament day is a pretty good place to have one.  It's too bad we lost the match and had to play just one more to win the championship.  I think it was the first game we lost in weeks.  

Thanks for the great times ladies and coaches!!!

Love of children

It's absolutely amazing to me how much I love my children.  I thought I'd love them, but the actuality is really cool.  There are no words to really express what it is or how it feels.  

Back when I was pregnant the babies didn't feel like real people no matter how many times I felt them move or saw them on ultrasound.  Being a high risk pregnancy we had a Lot of ultrasounds.  Whenever we discussed names I refused to call them a name before they were born.  It was a good thing to since they both got their number 2 choice names and not the number 1 choices we thought they would fit.  

When Blake was born they laid him on my still enormous belly.  My first thought was, "Yep, that's a baby boy covered in goo, let them go get him cleaned up and get the other one out."  So romantic & loving, right?  We did have a stubborn girl in my belly who we were trying to see if she went down head first after he came out or not.  She didn't so was tried to force to move.  Nope, she came out the wrong way {c-section}.  

After being put back together, recovery and clean up we finally got a chance to properly meet our babies in our room.  They were nice to hold & I started to get a feeling about their personalities.  The first few months were spent getting to know who they are.  The super love I feel for them now started out as a joy in being a parent finally while settling into my parenting style.  It comes about so naturally with all the little interactions throughout each day.  

I've started a new thing the last few weeks when the kids wake up from their naps.  I greet them like we've been apart for weeks and ask if they had a great nap.  Blake especially seems to swell in happiness before my eyes after the ecstatic greeting.  These choices we make that seem so little at the time can sometimes become the stuff of our greatest memories later on.  

Not sure what made me wax on so this evening.  Maybe it's the photo above.  I love it.