from my family to yours

I'm not mailing out Christmas cards this year.

It's not a decision I feel bad about because...
a) I mail them every other year, and this is an 'off' year (with the twins being born this year though...)
b) I can hardly keep on top of the laundry and housework these days, so taking the time to label, lick, and stamp cards would mean my family goes without clean socks and underwear.  And we can't have that! Oh wait, we already do??! Shhh! Quiet boys!

That being said, I still made a simple card to hand out/email to family.  Oh, and to share with you guys.

I look at this picture, and I feel incredibly blessed.  Look at all those happy, healthy faces!
This beautiful family of mine is one of the greatest gifts I've been given.
Even if their laundry is a part of their package. ;)

Wishing you and yours a blessed Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year!

I'm Loretta

Hi!
I'm sure you know me.  I'm Loretta.  You can call me Retta Bean. Everyone else does.

I have a brother, Graham.  He's my twin and I think his name should be Jumping Bean.

Oh, that's his foot right there. He's always trying to kick me in the face.

I'm pretty used to his shenanigans, and he doesn't faze me.

After all, I did spend nine cozy months with him in the same womb.

3 month photo shoot

My mom likes to say that we take turns being chill, but I'm chill! So long as things are going my way.

My mom also says my smiles make her day, so I save my best ones for her.

I like to talk, sing, and holler. I'm pretty good at conversing with my older siblings.

  I try to strike up conversations with my twin brother quite often, but he's not the chatty type, 

and I end up doing all the talking. 

We're kind of like my Mom and Dad!

our 5 month picture

Speaking of my Mom and Dad, I have the best spot in the house when it comes to sleeping.

Yep, you guessed it! Right between the two of them!

I'm five months old now, but I've been rolling over and rocking tummy time for a couple months.

Actually, these pictures are a couple months old. We weren't all that coordinated back then.

Take, for example, Graham in this picture.

Yeah, coordination is not his middle name!

He's always getting himself into scrapes.  And it looks like this time, he involved me!

"Mom, could you get my brother's bottom out of my face?"

"Mom, are you there???"

120 points for me

This morning, I had a chance to stop and think about what I wanted to do; both babies were napping.

I started pulling out the ingredients to make peanut butter blossom cookies.  In my mind, I was alternately writing a blog post and painting some DIY Christmas gifts.  Then I noticed that I needed to clean up breakfast before I could make cookies. So I ate a chocolate kiss (or three) while I loaded the dishwasher.  

Graham woke up before I even got the counters wiped.

So...the oven is sitting warm and empty, the dishwasher is still open, and Graham is on my lap playing with the wet wipes case while I type (it smells like I should make use of those wipes).

This is my life right now.

Crazy.

I spin circles.

Or I just sit in my robe, too dazed to do more than change diapers and watch the chaos around me.

morning play

post-sauna evening snack

But it's good, this chaos around me.  Our house is alive.  There is fighting and laughter, crying and cooing. And my voice, occasionally rising above it all, saying "Donovan and Elaina, get in the shower. Brant, did you finish your homework? Connor practice piano, and Aubrey, for the fourth time, hang up your towel!"

We're cruising along at quite a pace, whether I like it or not.

But these babies! Oh, how fun these babies are!

We all work hard for baby smiles!

Line 'em up for diaper changes.  20 points if you get them both to smile.

50 points if you get a classic nose-scrunched, eye-squinted grin!

I'd say that having the cookies ready for after-school snack is worth another 50 points.

I've got three and a half hours; sounds doable. I'll take those points now, and cash them in for three more chocolate kisses and twenty baby kisses.  I can never get enough of those!