6 Months

Let it be known. Hanky really likes Lily's hair. Here is further proof:

Do you remember when my babies turned 6 months and I didn't post about it? I do. Technically their 6 month mark was a few weeks ago but we are posting about it today. To celebrate the momentous 6 month mark - I took the babies to get their shots! Woohoo! Party. The babies were good but it left them a little sluggish, feverish and tired. Then we had a few viruses, ear infections and grouchy babies and mommy. But we are on the mend now!

Here are their stats:

Lillian

Height: 27 inches (50-75%)

Weight: 16lbs. 5oz. (90%)

Head Circumference: 44cm (75-90%)

Henry

Height: 26.5 inches (50%)

Weight: 16lbs (25%)

Head Circumference: 43.5 (50%)

Here is 6 things for each baby.

Lily

1) Lily loves to point her toes. She has them pointed when she jumps in the jumperoo. She has them pointed when she gets her diaper changed and when she is excited for someone to pick her up. I love looking at her little pointed toes. She reminds me of a ballerina. (The pointing made it very easy for them to measure her. She just straightened out her body, pointed her toes and she was measured in no time). She also has a talent of clapping her little feet together.

2) Lily has this shock of hair on the top of her head that grows straight forward. Bows help for a bit but it always starts shifting forward. I try to comb it when its wet and hold it in place but her hair is as stubborn as she is. Straight and forward it will be :)

3) She is our little butterball. She has fabulously chubby thighs and arms. She is only 5 oz heavier than Hanky, but I was told by my pediatrician that girls are usually smaller. She gulps down her bottle in one swoop and I can't make eye contact with her while I am feeding her because she would much prefer to talk with me and giggle than eat. Which is saying a lot. She really likes food.

4) She is our social lady. Loves to be held. If she could talk I would imagine she would say this "Please hold me all the time." She will go to ANYONE to be held. And while she is held - she is kicking her legs and pointing her toes. Almost any time she is crying she will instantly stop when she is picked up. Hmmm. Tough to do when there are two babies. She also babbles all the time - talking to herself, Hanky, Mom, Dad.

5) She laughs. And laughs. And laughs some more. She has even started to do a fake laugh. Which is pretty funny to watch. And she loves kids. She and Hanky will both laugh and laugh for kids in a way they won't do for Mommy and Daddy.

6) She is a pretty intense baby. If you are eating something she is intently watching you the food and reaching out her fingers grabbing it. Lately when I pick her up - she grabs my face with her little hands and pulls it forward for her to plant her mouth on my cheek, chin, mouth, forehead, nose. She is not picky but very determined.

Hank

1) Hanky is a talker. He says dadadadadada over and over and over. When he is upset he switches from talking to high pitch screaming mode. Which doesn't sound as though it would be funny, but it really is.

2) He is our MOVER. He rolls both directions and has rolled off the changing table (one of the worst moments in mine and Henry's lives). He is constantly trying to wiggle out of anything - crib, car seat, bouncy, stroller. He is even starting to sit up!!!

3) He is a gourmet eater. Which is frustrating when there 2 babies to feed. But he'll eat an ounce and wait 1o minutes. Then eat 2 ounces. Let it settle, then he'll eat again. Basically it takes an hour of waiting and attempts to get this kid to finish a bottle. It does not matter how hungry he is or how much I give him. He typically won't finish a bottle in one go. But maybe it is helping his metabolism? Smaller meals throughout the day?

4) He is a smiler. He smiles and his smile takes up all of his face. His nose, his eye get all squinty, his mouth splits open and reveals great big gums and drool. And don't get me started on those dimples!

5) He is my shy little guy. He is happy baby but he is starting to notice Mom and Dad and those who are NOT Mom and Dad. He gets a little nervous and a few times has burst into tears when someone (other than mom or dad) are holding him. When strangers talk to us - his eyes get big and it takes just a little while for him to warm up.

6) He is my early riser. If I hear a baby wake up in the morning - and right now it has been daylight savings time which is awesome for babies internal clocks - I know it is Henry. He is up and wanting to be picked up. And truthfully - he just wants to be in bed with Mom and Dad. I bring him back to bed and he is more than happy to lay in between us while we sleep babbling away. I think he gets that sleeplessness from his Daddy.

This is how Hank and Lily do 6 months!

Our serious man. And his cheeks that turn rosy from his naps.

Lily doing the "happy baby" pose.

She is laughing. I managed to catch one non-blurry shot.

Henry - I managed to catch him mid-roll.

And another shot of this little guy. He is hard to catch still.

Lily's concentrated look. Notice her tongue sticking out.

Play Time

One of the best things about having twins is watching them interact with one another. They are getting to the age where they recognize each other and talk to each other. I'll catch them holding hands or stealing each other's pacifiers. Can you tell that they are utterly amused by each other?

And then this happens:

About 2 seconds later - we stopped taking pictures. Lily was deeply hurt that her brother would pull her hair so hard. In hindsight - he's a baby and I should have stopped him. But come on. That's a great picture, right?

The pumpkin patch and Halloween

True confession - I have never been to a pumpkin patch. I didn't go as a kid and as an adult - if I want a pumpkin I drive to the nearest Trader Joe's and purchase one. But now that I can take ridiculous pics of my kiddos - we went! I didn't even buy a pumpkin there. But it was fun to walk around. Darren and I were really risky because our kids were on the verge of melting down because we went right when Darren got home - which is their bedtime. However - they did pretty well for how tired they were.

Mommy and Lily

Lily being very patient as Mommy forces her to take silly pictures. (Can you tell how red her eyes are? It is a combination of tiredness and the beginning of a cold.)

Hanky took the photo only with his pacifier in.

Daddy and Hanky - there wasn't much for us to do. I think everyone will enjoy it a bit more when we can do pony rides or participate in the petting zoo. Right now we basically just looked at pumpkins.

Here is our little family:

On to Halloween.

I have determined that Halloween is a thousand times more fun when you get to dress up little kids. And maybe draw a moustache on one of them. Henry really didn't want me drawing on him - so his facial hair is slightly crooked - but it was worth it. He looks so devilish!

Here we are at the ward trunk or treat. Our little devil and our little angle had a very very fun time celebrating their first Halloween.

3 years later

Three years later we went from this:

To this:

Two babies and an early morning donut run to celebrate our anniversary (followed by Club 33 at Disneyland - woohoo!). I am so glad Darren decided to marry me.

You know you're distracted when this happens:




Henry in a dress. So sorry baby.
I won't talk on the phone and dress you anymore.

Ps - doesn't he look happy?

Location:Bad Mommy

Hankster

I think Henry needs a post all on his own. His time is so shared with his sister. And because he typically is our mellow guy - he is usually the last one to bathe, feed and be changed. So the other morning, I had some Hank time. He was the little person that I picked up first. Changed first, fed first, tickled first.

He is so fun to have in our home. He is a bit more physical than his sister. He can turn onto his back and then flip around onto his stomach (his newest trick - as of Sunday - 10/10/10!). He LOVES the jumperoo. If you are holding him, he is probably trying to jump as if he is still in the jumperoo.

Another trick of his is removing the pacifier and trying to get it back into his mouth. He gets it back in about half the time. He isn't too great at eating rice cereal - it mostly comes back out. But he does have a big appetite. Most of the time he is not mad unless he is hungry or has a bubble.

My favorite thing these twinkies do is laugh at each other - I'll post video soon. But they basically just look at eat other and start laughing. REALLY hard. I'm kind of jealous I am not privy to their secret.

During my time with Henry - he managed to experience a blow out. Thanks buddy. I think he might look guilty in this photo.

*Update - right after I wrote this post, I gave Henry his last feeding of the night. Burped him and changed his diaper when he did a new trick - he peed all over me! This has never happened before. Or maybe I was previously a bit more careful. Thanks baby. :)

Daddy

When Daddy comes home is everyone's favorite time of day. Especially for Mommy, but it has been so fun to watch Darren interact with our babies. I think they are awfully tired of me by the end of the day.

I love this picture of Darren and Lily. It is a bit grainy but I love the subjects. Lily looks like she is telling Darren about her long day of naps, diaper changes, feedings and walks. She has it pretty good.

This picture is not clear and dark and grainy because Hanky is usually not happy and still at the same time (and Mommy had a really dark room, high ISO, low shutter speed and a moving target - we did our best). But I am using it to illustrate his exhilaration when Daddy plays with him.

Then when I want to get a picture of them together, he throws attitude like this: "I guess I'll tolerate him holding me."

Here Darren is entertaining the babies while I try to get smiles from them. He is my best helper because they will always give him their undivided attention.

.

I am serious when I say that everyone in our little family is happier when Daddy is home. We love you Daddy!

Beach Day!

We were technically at the beach for 2 hours, so it really wasn't a beach day. This is not the babies first time to the beach, but this is the first time Mommy let them thrash their feet about in the sand. By the time we left (it was a bit of production even getting there) the babies were exhausted and took a long long nap. Which means Mommy and Daddy REALLY love beach days. It was also a good chance for Mommy to practice her metering and exposure. Which in super bright light - is REALLY hard. That is why some pictures seem a bit blown out - but the subjects are so cute - that I just don't care. It has been good for me to dust off the notes from my photography class and start looking at my babies again. I am becoming reacquainted with my camera. I hope we have a long long relationship.

I love their beach feet. They look like churros toes.

Hanky

Lily

5

5 months? My babies are 5 months? Dear babies - please stop growing. I am going to do a photoshoot tomorrow but I was playing around in their bedroom today in the nice morning light. Here are a few pictures just to show you how fun my babies are despite their ear infections.

Here is our little Silly Lily. She gives us this enormous grin most days. But every once in a while we get this really surprised/confused face.

Hanky - He wasn't as smiley. Poor guy. Most of his shots were very serious. He was a tad grumpy this morning but I'll forgive him for many reasons. One of them being that his cheeks rest on his chest/shoulders. It just looks fabulous!

The aftermath

It has almost been a month since my Dad passed away and I'm still sorting out my feelings. Sadness, relief and joy surge through my body at various times through the day. I've even stopped a few times and really concentrated - am I ignoring my grief? It feels so different than my experience with my Mom. Then I realized. It has been different. For starters, I am older - a tad more mature and sadly more accustomed to what emotions you experience when a parent dies. When my Mom died, every new emotion would bring on a shower of tears and a frantic call to a few long suffering family members and friends. This time, I know it will pass. Things will go back to the new normal. The life where I can't call my Dad. And surprisingly - I am okay with that. He was sick for so long, that I'm relieved my nightly prayers don't include a plea for him to not feel pain or sickness. I'm joyful (and a tad jealous) that he finally is in a place where he no longer misses my Mom - he's by her side.

In a way - my grief has been a lot like my Dad himself. Quiet and unassuming and a laugh with a few tears thrown in there. And really - the tears have been few. Another surprise but then again - my Dad was a man that didn't like anyone to fuss over him - even in death. He really didn't like to inconvenience anyone. There have been a few raw moments where the tears come but those are for me to know and appreciate. Truthfully, I had a much harder time when he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. I have had a lot of time to deal with the eventual reality that he would not be with us much longer. And in the past few years he was around long enough to see me get married and have children - I am so grateful for that.

His service was beautiful and joyous. Can you call a funeral joyous? Hmmm. Yes, you can. And his was. It was the type of funeral I would like to have someday. A funeral with a lot of laughter and very little sadness. The type of gathering where loved ones come together and the fruits of your life are happiness, laughter and knowledge that the world was a better place because of your efforts. Where a lot of people remember you because you liked to tell jokes and stories, read books and just connect with people. Just because you were happy with the lot you had in life - which in this day and age is a very rare gift indeed.

If you had ever met my Dad, he would have tried to make a connection with you. But if he didn't know you or your parents - he at least was aquainted with someone from your family or hometown. Or knew of a distant ancestor that somehow made you related to him. It helped that he had an insane memory that allowed him to store such knowledge. But it was one of the funny habits that my Dad had and every once in a while - I catch myself doing the exact same thing, "Oh, I knew your sister in law's parents - we met once in the 6th grade." My memory is now riddled with holes because of pregnancy and new motherhood - so I doubt I'll catch up with my Dad in terms of memory.

In a few ways I feel like my life has come full circle. I used to wonder if my Dad felt sad because none of his children knew his father. My Grandpa Brown passed away shortly after my parents were married, so none of us had ever met or known him. And now I know how he felt. For my Mom and Dad's sake. My children did get to meet my Dad a few times. We spent some quality time with him this summer where he liberally showered them with kisses. But they'll never get to go through his pockets and find about a dozen Dum-Dums. Or change for candy. Or have him tease them and ask them if their name is Rumplestilskin. But that's okay because I can tell my children stories about my parents and their wonderful qualities. Just like I remember hearing about Grandpa Brown.

So in the aftermath I have taken away a few valuable lessons. I try on a daily basis to think - What would my Dad do? Would he be overly concerned that his house is messy or would he simply enjoy these little babies? Would he maybe check email while I bounced one? Or would he just wait until those little babies were napping and instead spend their awake time cuddling, kissing, tickling and simply playing with my babies? The answer is pretty obvious. For a man that had 11 children and 39 grandchildren - he really was a nut for babies. Thank goodness. I hope I can pattern my life after his. Maybe not the 11 children part - but the part where you are generally just happy with your life :) Love you Dad!

Ps - these are awesome pictures that my sister in law Elizabeth took shortly after my Dad was diagnosed with cancer. I think that everyone should get themselves a talented sister in law. :) Thanks E, I love these photos!

Funeral Arrangments

Philip Ray Brown

There will be a viewing on Friday, August 27th, 6:30-8pm at the Buttercup Chapel.

An additional viewing will be on the morning of the service from 9-9:45am.

Services will be at the Buttercup Chapel at 10am on Saturday, August 28th.

Buttercup Chapel - 1600 E. Buttercup Dr., Sandy, UT, 84092

Gratitude

Tonight I am grateful for too much to list here but my short list includes these people:



My babies and my Dad. I am so grateful he got to meet them.

One of the best things a father can do for his children is cherish their mother. Adoring my Mom was one of my Dad's greatest strengths. She was one lucky lady. And we were even luckier to have him as a father.

I love you Dad!

Dear baby

Dear Lily-

I truly love you and your little smile (with your tongue kind of sticking out) to bits but can you maybe turn down the charm
at 4am and work on going to back to sleep?

Love,

Your Mother



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my iPhone

Hairdo

We have achieved our first ponytail - our big girl!!




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7/22/2010

This was a HUGE day. We had our first laughs! From both babies - first Lily, then Hanky. They were both very highly entertained by Aunt Jacque - but let's face it - who isn't? :) And they were real belly laughs - not these namsy pamsy grunt/laughs that babies make in their sleep.

I feel like this is such a fun new chapter - laughing babies.


Hanky



Lily





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Blessing Day

This may come as a surprise - but I am a tad behind on the blog. I have been way too busy watching my little guys grow up! And I need to post about their blessing day - which was the 4th of July (how great is that seriously?). Henry was lucky enough to wear his Daddy's blessing outfit (can you even deal with how fabulous that little hat is?). Lily had a new white dress that Mommy was relieved fit her.

Darren did an incredible job and the babies behaved themselves accordingly :) In his blessings he talked about the babies heritage and various family members whose qualities he hoped they would have. So it was a nice little surprise in testimony meeting when one of the first people to give their testimonies was someone who knew my mother from the colonies! It was wonderful. It is always so fun to meet people who knew my Mom. She was pretty darn unforgettable.

Here are some of the pictures from the blessing day:

Grandpa and Grandma Harris - with Hank, Lily, Daddy and Mommy

The Harris/Brown clan that attended the blessing.

Our little family. "Are you kidding me? We have ourselves a family here!" (Raising Arizona)

The Brown/Harris men that participated in blessing.

(From left) Uncle Casey, Uncle Tim, Grandad Harris, Lily, Darren, Henry, Uncle Morgan, Uncle Dave, Uncle Stephen, Uncle Jon.

The rest of the day we spent at Morgan and Elizabeth's house - eating our body weight in food and Izze sodas. Later that afternoon we loaded up 5 cars (not kidding) of people and went down to the Mormon Battalion center in San Diego. One of the Harris ancestors - Robert Harris was in the Mormon Battalion and they had recently renovated the museum. (Henry's middle name is Robert - after this ancestor Robert Harris).

The museum was incredible and the company really can't be matched.

It really was the perfect way to spend out 4th of July - despite the freezing whether. It really felt more like November than July. Sorry out of town visitors!