Classic

So I love to take pictures of the twins in a split egg. It's cheesy but one of those things that I get a 2nd grade kick out of. They are so cute!

Tagged: 7 Things People Might Not Know About Me

1. I lost 20 pounds in the last 3 months, mostly from having diarrhea every single day
2. I own over 20 pairs of shoes
3. I have 2 fiction novels and 2 children's books in the making right now
4. I am obsessed with buying new books
5. I love Mongolian food
6. I kiss on the first date
7. I still have my Monchichi from when I was little

Our Family 2008

I've been wanting to take some pictures of the kids and bought them matching shirts months ago in anticipation. Finally over spud harvest I took the boys down to the falls with the bribe of feeding the ducks if they let me take some pictures. My friend Heather was sweet enough to come along to snap a few of me with the boys too. Bryce and Brenon were not having the best of days and after a million pictures some melt downs began. In fact I have a picture of Bryce with tear stained cheeks that is a stark reminder of all the crying the two did. BUT, I did get some great shots so it was worth it. Trevor still loves to have his picture taken so he was running all over telling me to take one here and there and everywhere. Tyrel was a great sport, he hated the shirt but wore it for me, being the resourceful kid that he is he brought another one and changed the second we were done! In the end they had a blast feeding the ducks and running around everywhere. We even saw a girl on a bike get hit by a car! Don't worry, she was fine. Thank you to Heather for helping out and letting us use her camera!

Twilight is the Best!

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If you haven't read the Twilight series then you seriously need to have a non-reality check with yourself. It is the best! I found this awesome link on a friends web and had to try it out. Let's have a massive girls night out for the movie premiere!

Camera Shy Ty

I know I don't blog about Tyrel very often but it's mostly his fault. Most of the time I get the camera out he turns his head. Since that is what I do I can't be too mad though! So here are some ones I captured on our trip. The first one is when we were all dancing in the car, notice his blanket tied on like a cape, boys don't grow out of everything! Second is him at the hotel, I believe he was eating jerky, his favorite. Tyrel is amazing. He is so helpful to me, taking out the garbage, doing laundry, and helping out with his brothers. He has straight A's right now, that includes his elective, Spanish. He is working hard at school and playing hard at home. He has taken over the care of Lily, mostly because he is the only one she likes. Tyrel shares moms love of reading and we usually read the same books. He has read almost all of the Harry Potter series, Fablehaven, Percy Jackson, and many more. We love reading series together and sometimes fight over who gets to be the first to read a new book. Ty is also very into origami lately and has made everyone in the family some sweet animals. Ty is a giant, about 5 foot 2 right now (at least), just over a hundred pounds, wears a size 8 1/2 shoe and a small shirt in mens!! In addition, anyone who has talked to him lately knows his voice sounds very different, he's a very early bloomer. Ty says the funniest things and has lots of knowledge about obscure things already. I am so thankful to have him in the family and for the important part he plays in our lives. Love you Ty!

Happy Birthday to Brenon!

On October 14th Brenon Dale turned 7 years old! He was so excited that he was awake at 5:30 in the morning, I guess he wanted to make the most of the day. He was lucky enough to get to celebrate on Tuesday at home, on Friday at Grandpa and Grandma's, and on Saturday at Dad and Lissa's. At home on Tuesday we had Amy and kids over, then Aunt Amy made their favorite meal, spaghetti! Brenon had a great day and got lots of awesome toys (see Bryce's list cuz it's the same). One of the teachers at the school was remarking that day that it's amazing that they are seven and asked if I was sad. I told her that all day instead of feeling sad I just felt happy that they were alive and healthy to see their seventh birthday. I don't think Brenon minded sharing his big day with someone else. Brenon is so sweet and very loved by all who know him. Happy Brithday to you Pookie!

Happy Birthday To Bryce!

On October 14th Bryce Jakob turned 7! He did have school that day so I brought some cupcakes in to help celebrate the big day. He got lots of cool toys, like a spiderman lego set, a light saber, some cars, and much more. In the morning I let him open the new shirts that I got him so he could choose which one to wear for the day. One of them was a long sleeve, brown, waffle texture Henley, which he promptly told me he didn't like because it just "looks like an old ugly brown shirt"! The first picture is him in the morning before school, and the other was his cake. I usually get the boys their own but this year we didn't have enough people over to help eat that much cake! The next morning Bryce said to me, very worried, "Mom I don't FEEL seven." I assured him that was pretty normal. Happy Birthday Boober!

Our Family Vacation

Aren't family vacations great? Kids create lifetime memories and parents want to go on a real vacation (meaning no kids). But seriously, in this family it is important that we do fun things together, the more positive memories they have the less room to remember the bad ones right? So this year we went to Boise, our state capitol! We stayed at a hotel with a pool, that is a must. The boys enjoyed swimming, playing in a huge playground, a trip to the Discovery Center of Idaho (check it out at www.scidaho.org), a picnic and a trip to the zoo. This is a picture of the boys in a hut in the Africa section of the zoo. I think they all had fun (except for that morning Brenon burned his finger on my curling iron and two seconds later Trevor got his hand slammed in a door). We had tons of fun and brought home lots of souvenirs, including some new stains on the carpet in the van. Hopefully we can continue to have these annual trips together so that someday the boys can look back when they take their kids on a trip and realize that their mom was a brave soul.

So Trevor

Over Spud Harvest, I brought the boys to Boise so we could spend time getting to know Ramil, and have our annual family vacation. While there, we went to the Boise Zoo. Trevor was the only one who would pose for this picture for me. This is him getting eaten by a life size comodo dragon. I love this picture because it is the essence of Trev, always up for something fun. Of course he stays well rounded by spending as much time crying as he does laughing. But I'll take the tears when it means I also get to hear his adorable laughter! Love you Trev!!

Mystery Man

For the past almost 3 years, it has been a given that any weekend I could be found sitting (or sleeping) at home doing a whole lot of nothing. Because of this I was the one people called when their husband was gone for the day and they needed something to do, or the babysitter for date night, or the daughter who could come visit when everyone else was too busy. Lately I have been disappearing for days at a time and the news has slowly leaked out: Yes! I do have a boyfriend! Ramil and I met on ldsmingle the beginning of September and have talked on the phone everyday, usually more than once, since then. On September 20 I drove to Boise to finally meet him because I wanted to be sure that the chemistry was there in person too before I told anyone about him. It was. He is currently studying at BSU for electrical engineering and works full time at the Flying J. He is divorced but no kids, originally from the Philippines, and has been in the U.S. for about 10 months. Ramil is super sweet and everything I have been looking for in a guy, I was just looking in the wrong country! He doesn't have a car right now which is why I always drive to see him but he will be getting one soon. He is a returned missionary and awesome basketball player. We have so much fun together and he always makes sure that I am happy. Hopefully I didn't just toally jinx our relationship by posting this blog...

Here Kitty Kitty

In August I made impulsive decision (aren't they all?) and just had to have this cute, tiny kitten someone was giving away at the grocery store. The boys were thrilled and after debating over names Tyrel suggested Lily. I thought it was perfect because I wanted to name her something feminine and like a flower, and he thought of it because it is the name of Harry Potter's mom! She is very cute and bratty so she fits right in with us. She likes to bite and we are trying to figure out how to stop that. It has been good for the boys to have the responsibility with her and it's good for me to not alwyas be home alone! Yes, we know everyone in the family are cat haters and we are keeping her far away from dad and his guns so there are no "hunting accidents". So this our newest family member!

Hold On To Your Horses!

Hey all, if you have been visiting my blog and wondering why I have no new posts there is a good reason! I am having some problem with my computer putting pictures in on the wrong file type so I cannot post them. I am working on it and should have some up soon so check back later!

My Miracles

PART TWO

When I reached 23 weeks of pregnancy I went into labor for the first time. The doctors said that because of the extra fluid around Bryce my uterus was big enough that it was irritated and thought it was time for the babies to be born. I spent a couple of days at the Idaho Falls hospital where they tried unsuccessfully to stop the labor pains. Then they decided to fly me to Salt Lake and so off I went in an ambulance to the airport where I was flown to the University hospital. Once there they were completely full of patients and we spent a couple of agonizing days waiting for them to do something. The specialist finally got around to us and decided to do a procedure where they insert a small needle into the sack of the baby with the most fluid and slowly drain it off, thus relieving some of the pressure. It took them a full 30 minutes to drain off enough fluid to fit in 1 1/2 2 liter bottles. The procedure was a success but I ended up in full blown labor, which was one of the risks. Jakob had a cousin living in Salt Lake who rushed over and gave me a priesthood blessing which stopped the labor. After that they sent us home and the condition improved itself for a few weeks. I was on strict bed rest for the next 10 weeks and we made many trips to the hospital to stop the almost constant contractions. Finally at 34 weeks of pregnancy I woke up feeling very sick to my stomach. I wanted to wait, having been to the hospital for so many false alarms, but Jakob saw my level of pain and insisted we go right away. When we got there sure enough I was in real labor and it was time for the babies to be born! I had a c-section and Bryce was born October 14, 2001 at 10:42 a.m. and Brenon was born one minute later. Bryce had to have oxygen the fist few days and had a very red complexion as a result of the extra red blood cells he had from getting too much blood. Brenon needed no assistance but did have apnea spells that had to be watched for. They both spent 3 weeks in the NICU in Idaho Falls learning to eat. At one point they were planning on sending Brenon home the next day, then when we got there they said he had stopped eating and couldn't leave yet. When Bryce started eating well Brenon started eating again and they came home on the same day. I still think Brenon was waiting for his brother! The twins weighed in at 5 lbs. 10 oz. (Bryce) and 5 lbs. 4 oz. (Brenon). This was amazing to the doctors because normally with TTTS one twin is twice the size of the other. Bryce and Brenon have always been so close, they slept in the same crib for a long time and once we separated them they would both scoot to where the cribs met and reach through the bars to be by each other. At 18 months they started developmental and speech therapy because they were a behind which is common for preemies. By age 5 they were completely caught up with others their age. Brenon has had problems with his ears, but other than that they had been amazingly complication free. They are now healthy boys, pretty big for their age, and advanced in their school work. They are starting to complain about too many kids at school asking why they "have the same face" but they are still inseparable and the best of friends. I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to be their mother, but even more so that I was allowed to keep both of them with me on earth. They are my miracles!

My Little Miracles

PART ONE

















In early 2001 we were thrilled to find out we were expecting again. Tyrel was almost 4 and Trevor was almost 2 and we figured we could have one more baby and we wanted them 2 years apart. At my 12 week checkup the doctor couldn't find the babies heartbeat, he assured me everything was probably fine but since we had the technology we would do an ultrasound and make sure all was ok. My sister Jennifer took me to the ultrasound because I was totally scared that I had miscarried and would be too upset to get home. As the technician was looking around I noticed that the picture of the baby wasn't moving from one angle to another, just staying the same. Then at one point I could clearly see the baby but I also saw some sort of lump in the corner. I said "What is that!" because I knew either I had a tumor or there was more than one baby in there. She said "Hold on one second" then a minute later said something I will never forget "There are two babies in there." Jen and I immediatly started screaming and crying. About 5 minutes later the lady said "Um are you guys happy or sad?" It was soo funny. We assured her we were thrilled. After a very long ultraound we started spreading the word. Everyone was asking me what my husband was going to say and I said "He's gonna swear". Sure enough when I tracked Jakob down and showed him the picture labeled "the babies" he did say "Oh shoot" (but not shoot). We were so excited and surprised and started to prepare for our double blessing. At my next ultrasound we were told that Baby A (Bryce) was a boy but they couldn't see Baby B. At 21 weeks things took a dramatic turn. The ultrasound showed that Baby A was bigger than Baby B and had more fluid around him. They confirmed Baby B was a boy and they were identical because they shared a placenta. I was pretty confused when they sent me back to the doctor. Once there he put his arm around me and said "I'm so sorry. Sometimes these things just happen. Your babies have a rare condition for which there is no cure. You are going to lose both of them." He then told me that he wanted to send me to a specialist in Salt Lake just in case there was something they could do. Jakob and I talked alot on the way there about the fact that maybe we were only supposed to give these boys bodies and not make them live this difficult life. In Salt Lake the doctor explained that the babies had Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome. This affects very few twins and only identical ones. When the egg splits after a few days instead of the first couple, the babies end up sharing a placenta. This isn't always a problem but in our case it was. Brenon (Baby B) had veins that went from his umbilical cord to the placenta and then over to Bryce. Because of this Bryce was getting twice as much blood and fluid and Brenon didn't have enough since very little came back to him. The risk with these babies is that the twin with too much has a heart attack and the twin with too little suffocates. We were at risk of losing at least one, if not both, of the babies. There was very little they could do but they hoped since I was already half way there I would make it.
STAY TUNED FOR PART TWO!

The Rundown

I just wanted to take a second to explain our family so that when I refrence people everyone knows who I am talking about! I married Jakob Carlson in 1996 and we had our four beautiful boys together. We were divorced in 2005 and in early 2006 he was remarried to Melissa. Melissa has a little boy named Paxton who is just 2 months younger than the twins so they basically have triplets together!! Melissa is great to the kids and has extended family that have brought more love into the boys life. Paxton is so cute and loves his new brothers. We all get along well and have a common goal of helping the boys have the best life possible. It really is a case of making the best out of a situation and I am just grateful that Melissa is tolerant of all our craziness.

The First Day Of School

School started August 14, 2008. Tyrel started

middle school which means he has 7 different

classes and a locker....crazy! Trevor is in 4th grade this year and is doing great. Bryce and Brenon are in 1st grade and this year I opted to have them in the same class. It is working out great, they do their own thing and it's easier for me to keep track of their work because it's the same.

Tyrel is really great at math and science and choose Spanish for his elective this year. Trevor is an amazing reader and speller, doesn't even have to study for spelling tedtd and still gets 100%. Bryce is our little colorer, I've had parents who help in class tell me they wish they could color as well as him! Brenon is picking up reading so fast and seems to enjoy it. It's so fun to see them progress and learn new things. They all enjoy school which is nice and most mornings there's not too much of a fight to get them out the door. So far they are all doing great in class and I think it will be a great school year.

Wes and Me

This weekend I stayed with Mark and Jen. I took full advantage of Weston being tired and having his blankie to get some snuggles out of him. He is seriously so adorable and I love seeing what crazy lengths his parents will go to get a laugh out of him! 

At bedtime Wes waved goodnight to me.....Jen said he usually won't do that. I am supposed to watch him tomorrow when Mark and Jen go to the Temple, let's hope he won't flip out too bad. The boy does love his mommy and daddy. I figured out that if I kind of ignore him when I first get around him then he isn't as shy. Luckily I don't have to worry about being too loud and scaring him, his mom has made him immune to that!!

Just Getting Started

Thanks to the example of my awesome sister Jen I am starting a blog for our family. however, my creativity isn't on her level so hang in there while I get this up and running! Everything you see so far she did or showed me how to do. Thanks Jen!