"Not Me"

You dont think I am going to have the type of kids that tell on each other do you? :-)

HMMMM, Who looks more guilty?

and a Shout Out to Uncle Bill and Aunt Terry...we cant wait to go to Mickey's House w/ you.

We Survived....

....Our first dinner out w/ the babes. I know not that big of a deal but for me it is. Just like anything w/ them the first time we can prove to ourselves that life can and does carry-on beyond the 4 walls of our home I feel victorious. So last weekend was Fathers Day as we all know and Chad said that if he could pick anywhere to eat he would go to Bone Fish but I had drill last weekend and we could not make it out to dinner so I suggested to him that we do it this weekend...."Lets just take the kids and see what happens"....and I must say they were awesome. They required a little holding and a little soothing but they both eventually fell asleep and we were able to enjoy a wonderful dinner and a very yummy gooey chocolate brownie for dessert. Slowly but surely I am feeling less and less house bound. Our next big obstacle we are tackling is traveling w/ a trip to San Antonio on the horizon. We will be sure to keep you posted on how well that goes. I am a little nervous because I if I am being honest I will tell you that I was the person who was like "oh great" every time someone got on the plane w/ small children and I was even more thrilled when they were seated near me. So I am probably going to have the child that cries the entire flight just to pay me back for my bad attitude LOL :-)

12 Weeks Today

Can you believe it has already been 12 weeks....I can hardly believe it myself. When I stop to think about it time really is just flying by. Part of me wants to slow things down and other parts don't necessarily want to speed things up but I am so anxious for them to be more interactive. Their smiles already melt my heart I cant wait until there are just more and more of them and the first time they laugh will just be the most perfect melody. For their 12 week birthday Evan and Taryn gave me and Daddy a perfect gift....they both slept through the night on the same night. I think this was Evans first time sleeping completely through the night and Taryn did it 2 nights in a row for the first time. Both were down by 8:00 and woke at about 6:15...I fed them and they went back down until 8:30....Thank you babies mommy really needed that. Now as previously mentioned naps continue to be a different story. They are better now then they used to be but still not great and certainly not as easy as bedtime. Taryn who I had the most trouble w/ in the beginning is turning into a great napper. She has taken at least 1-2 hour nap for several days in a row and many days we get 2-2 hour naps out of her and she goes down for naps fairly easy these days. Evan on the other hand takes forever to get him down for his naps even though he is clearly tired...will fall asleep in my arms(or almost asleep, my goal is to put them down drowsy but awake) but 5-10 min after I put him down he is screaming his head off...I go in to soothe him and he is wide-eyed and bushy-tailed. So we have to start the soothing routine all over again UGGHHH....just go to sleep. This after noon I got a 2.5 hr nap out of him but it went something like this (from Evans perspective)...
- Soothe to drowsy State
- Sleep 15 min in crib
- Cry for Mommy
- Soothed until I stop crying
- Put in swing and fall asleep
- Mom notices I am asleep but doesn't dare touch me so she turns off the swing
- Sleep 1 hour in swing
- Start crying...mom comes rescue me (works every time)
- Mom takes me to her bed where she is laying w/ Taryn ahhh this feels nice maybe I am still tired
- Sleep another hour...Ok I know it has been at least 2 hours since I ate last it must be time to eat again.
- Start crying again so mom will feed me
LOL :-)
- YAY Daddy's Home (that's me talking LOL)
The funny thing is Evan goes down so easy at bed time. We give him his bath, feed him his bottle and put him down...most of the time wide awake and he just goes to sleep. Taryn on the other hand (even if she is almost asleep when we lay her down) will cry for her paci several times and every night we have to go in there and give her the remainder of her bottle before she will even think of falling asleep. Even tonight...she polished off her 7 oz and still kept kicking out her paci until we brought a bottle in there...Chad tried to feed her but all she wanted to do was chew on it and smile at Daddy. It is too funny because right after she it gets her "dessert" as we have loving named it she goes right to sleep but for some reason we have to go through this charade w/ her every night. But then she will sleep the rest of the night.
Now about those smiles that just melt your heart....you can see for yourself :-)

First Family Photo

We wanted to share this picture w/ everyone...it is our first family photo taken on the twins 4 week birthday not to be confused w/ the photos below that were taken at 11 weeks :-). This was taken by a friend of Chad's that he used to work w/ but has since retired from the Air Force and is trying his hand at profession photography. We think he does great work.

Catching UP

OK...I know I have been slacking a bit but it is hard work taking care of two little ones and I must say they can be pretty demanding LOL.
First of all let me say a Happy belated Fathers Day to all the wonderful Dad's out there....and especially to my Chad who celebrated his very first Fathers Day. I am sure everyone is wondering how Chad spent his day...well what better way then to spend it playing "Mr. Mom". I had my first drill (since the babies were born) w/ the Air National Guard this past weekend. It was such a bummer that drill fell over Fathers Day weekend but not much I could do about that. We had planned for a while that June would be my first drill and that Chad would ask for an excuse from drill through August after that we will be looking for a sitter on drill weekends. So it was Chad's first time completely alone w/ the babes and I think he handled it splendidly of course for some reason they decided to be on their best behavior and actually take their naps for him. HMMMM I wonder what his secret is and if he would mind sharing it w/ me :-). Naps continue to be my nemesis but we will save that for another post :-)
Speaking of Fathers Day....I took the babies to get their pictures taken for daddy last week. I thought it was about time he had a photo to proudly display on his desk at work. So I packed the babies up and braved an outing alone for the first time. Really I felt very victorious and proud of myself for managing such a feat. I know it may not seem like that big of a deal but for me it was huge. I took them to this great place up in Macon at our new outdoor mall that is called Portrait Innovations...they are much like the Picture People that are in just about every shopping mall...anyway...they were wonderful and were so patient w/ the babies. After our photo shoot while we waited for our pictures to be printed I walked the babies around outside and even ventured into Barnes and Noble and managed a trip to the rest room and even Starbucks (I was such a brave soul LOL). After our little adventure we picked up our photos and headed home, got the babies fed and put them down for a nap and they slept 3 hours...OMG maybe I should take them out everyday!!! Actually it is way too much work but at least they rewarded me w/ a great nap after we got home.
Here are some of the photos...we didn't get prints of all of them but they did give me the disc w/ the entire photo shoot on it so I can share some of my favorites.

I didn't get any prints of this one because Taryn's eyes are closed but it is the only one from the entire shoot that she smiled in...so cute :-)

Saluting My Twins

My Dear Evan and Taryn:

Dad here...I love you two beyond what words can say. And second to the day that I married your mommie, a day approaches this upcoming weekend that gives me the most pride, joy, happiness, and amazement humanly possible...Father's Day...and the miracle of a blessing and gift to be your Dad. I simply marvel in the way that God has blessed me with the gift of the two of you...every minute I thank Him for bringing you into our lives; every minute I gaze at you two as see how marvelous God is, for He has fashioned you is such beauty and love. My Evan and Taryn, there is nothing that can equal how much you mean to me. I have, by the grace of God, spent almost 34 years experiencing so much of what life here on Earth has to offer...and yet I stand on the doorstep of a milestone that simply strikes every chord in my heart and every emotion in my mind. Celebrating Father's Day as a real Dad is but a blessing like no other...and the two of you are simply amazing children. You celebrated 11 weeks of life today...so young and so beautiful...what a little joyous tandem you are. I pray that God watches over you each and every minute of your lives...and that He enables and empowers me to be the Dad that He needs me to be for you as you grow up. I hold in unequaled regard the calling of being a Father...and will give the two of you everything I have in every minute that God blesses me with. My SweetPea...with your sparkling red hair and beautiful-blues (eyes)...you are a precious little girl that is beyond what I could have imagined. And E-Man...you are all boy and just a ball of energy so special in each and every way. As the little team you are, I promise to "coach" you along the way into devoted-Christ-followers who serve and honor God as you grow up and experience this life for which He has beautiful purpose for the both of you. You are loved by so many...the most awesome of whom is God...and the most proud of which has to be me:-) Taryn, just know that I have been working on my cheer skills and footwork...and Evan, I have been perfecting my watergun tactics. Videos will follow below to give you a little taste of what I mean. :-) Fatherhood is an amazing new part of my life. I thank God for making that a reality for me through the two of you. You both mean the world to be...truly miracles in your own right...and blessings for which I am eternally grateful. I love you...and I celebrate the two of you.

Love,

Your Dad

My precious son and daughter:

(Here's a couple of videos...oh, I can't wait for the times ahead :-) )

And the Winner is....

Ms. Taryn Grace Tuttle aka Sweet Pea....and what exactly did she win? Well she was our first to ;officially sleep through the night. YIPPEE. She went to bed at 7:30 and woke up this morning at 7:30. She probably wasn't asleep until a little after 8pm but that is still awesome. She has her little bed time tricks that she does just about every night. We feed her she insist that she is done and then 20 min later she decides she wants the rest of her bottle so we play that game just about every night and last night was not exception but if she is going to sleep that well we can continue the game :-). Evan did awesome too....he is so good at bedtime and more often then not will go down right away for us...we may at the most have to do one paci check w/ him but most nights he will lay right down and go to sleep. Last night he slept until 5:30 ate and then went back down until 8:00. So really I cant complain about that either. My wish/goal is to have both of them go straight through until 7-7:30. We are almost there and at just under 11 weeks I cant complain they are doing awesome.

"Weighing In" on Things

Well, it's been a couple of weeks since the last post...and in parenthood-time, that's an eternity with so much changing every day! E-Man and SweetPea are doing awesome and continue to grow up more and more each day in more and more ways. Back on 5 Jun, the Twangels had their 2-month checkup appt with Dr. Stewart...they were eager to weigh in to see how the budding sibling rivalry of weight gain was going...but not at all eager for their first taste of vaccinations. :-) Evan stepped on the scale first, and the number-jumble settled out at a little-manly 9.2 lbs. There was a wry smile from his face, though it was cupled with a bit of frustration having fallen short of the 10lb "goal" he had made for himself. Confident she could make a run at first place, SweetPea releve'd and grand jete'd here way to the weight station. A snicker was heard coming from the little-dude's corner as Taryn watched the scale steady out at 8.9 lbs. She had come up short, but the progress was steady and true. "It's a marathon not a sprint, brother"...Taryn proclaimed. Evan replied: "Scoreboard....scoreboard....scoreboard!"
Both of their little spirits were quickly humbled as shot time rolled around...the needle sticks brought the cries and tears, but Gena and Auntie Kallie were there to provide calm and comfort.
Oh the two of them are doing wonderful. Anything labeled "NB" now resides in a pile in the corner of the room...and the 0-3s have take reign over the wardrobe...as have "size 1" diapers. The continue to do well with their bedtime routine of walk-bath-bottle-bed...typically making it from 8pm to 5-6am...and then up for an hour then napping for an hour or a bit more in cyclical fashion througout the day. They love their bumbo seats, and look like such little "grown ups" sitting in them. Evan's favorite game so far has been "Swaddle me if you can mommie and daddy...as he likes to use his new-found jailbreak skills to escape even the best of swaddle attempts...he's not batting 100%, but he does make a valient effort at it!! :-) Seems that he always has to have a hand or two waving around as if to swat imaginary flies! Bath time is still one of the favorite parts of their day. They both smile up a storm and the cooing continues to be more "literate"...well, as literate as baby-jumble can be at this stage :-)

Auntie Kallie made her first visit to see her niece and nephew...and they definitely loved meeting her. I think Taryn can't wait to go shopping with her and to bake some goodies with her...E-Man can't wait to eat those goodies!

On the 29th of May, some extremely awesome friends of mom hosted a shower in our honor back in Helotes. Some 20 ladies gathered to celebrate life and honor Evan and Taryn...with a food lineup that was simply over-the-top! Their outpouring of love and thoughts and gifts was simply amazing. And we got to enjoy many of the details of it firsthand here, as Mom and Kallie through a mini-shower with many of the same goodies...what a great time that was!!!

I just saw a red light illuminate on my computer screen and now the speakers are blaring the message "WARNING.....WARNING....EXCESSIVE WORDING ALERT....WARNING...YOU ARE ADVISED TO GO TO PICTURE MODE IMMEDIATELY!" So here goes....(Love you all!)

We Miss Daddy

Chad is in Vegas this week for work not fun :-) although I am sure he is enjoying sleeping through the night. Needless to say we all miss him but are enjoying our time w/ Mema and Auntie Kallie. The babies are taking it easy on me since daddy is out of town...Taryn has basically slept through the night the past two nights from 8-5:30 then back down until 7...Evan slept from 8-1:30 and then back down until 7:00 so he is doing good too. Of course now that I mention it they probably will be up every 2 hours tonight...o'well still wanted to share my good news :-). This post is mostly for Daddy so he can see his babies that I know he is missing.
So here they are Daddy...missing you and loving you....

Daddy I promise I am being a good boy :-)