Happy New Year 2014

So I think I have shared before that Troy set up email accounts for each of the girls. Troy and I mainly use the accounts to send pictures and videos to the girls of important events or just funny, sweet things.

But yesterday I thought I should start sending them "year-end-reviews"! I loved reading them back to myself and I thought this may be a great--easy--thing for tired momma's to do with for their babies and it is a lot easier than keeping up with a scrapbook and cheaper than making expensive Shutterfly books.

Here is a copy of my letters to my girls:

I will start with the youngest Libbi:

From: Jessica
Subject: Thinking of you 2013
Date: December 31, 2013 8:52:22 PM CST
To: Libbi Sue
Libbi Sue-"Babs"

I love you! You also have had an amazing year!

-You are the best cuddle-bug on the planet! Your blanket named "Nonny" is your by far favorite thing to snuggle. The best part of the day is when you get your blanket and nonny and snuggle mommy or daddy for a solid 30 minutes.

-You walked at 11 months.

-You had an "Up" inspired first birthday with Josi and you loved the balloons.

-You love to sit and play with toys for long periods of time. Studying them and them playing with them meticulously.

-You like order and neatness, picking up your shoes and clothes and putting them away in the proper place.

-Daddy and I think you are already a genius and you've mastered the art of sweetly pouting to get whatever you want!

-You love to dance and do "ballet" like Charli and especially love being held up high in the air to do ballet poses.

-You don't like it when Josi gets hurts and you sweetly console her when she does get boo-boos.

- You like to be held close.

-You love blueberries, blackberries, and Lay's potato chips.

-You love technology!

You are such an amazingly beautiful and sweet baby girl.

I love you Libbi Sue! I know 2014 is going to be filled with so many more blessings!

Love,

Momma



Next Josi Mae: The middle child by 1 minute:


From: Jess Home
Subject: Thinking of you 2013
Date: December 29, 2013 10:46:19 PM CST
To: Josi Mae

Josi Mae!!!! "Mae-Mae"

I love you! You have had an amazing year:

-You walked at 11 months old!!!

-You turned 1 in April and had a "Up" inspired birthday party with Libbi.

- You love to put on shoes and socks and love really cozy socks!!!!!

-You love to be outside and scream when you have to come in from playing outdoors.

-You don't like to sit still at all.

-You love food and I call you my "foodie" because you eat everything!!! You're favorite thing is "Beefaroni" and Mac and cheese.

- You say lots of words like momma, dada, Chacha, Libbi "Wibbi", Mimi, puppy, and meowmeow, and tons more! My favorite thing you say is sweet treat momma which sounds like, "Weet weet momma!"

-You don't like other people helping you and you like to do everything on your own!!!

-You get frustrated when you don't master a task immediately and you scream or cry but you don't give up.

-You look like me

-You have your father wrapped around your finger...(don't tell Libbi or Charli!)

-You are athletic and strong and I am already proud of this and boast all the time about your agility and sportsmanship

I love you Jo Jo Mae!!!!



Last: Miss Charli Kay

From: Jess Home
Subject: Thinking of You 2013
Date: December 29, 2013 10:34:58 PM CST
To: Charli Kay
Cc: Troy Hanson
Dear Charli,

I thought it would be nice to write you a letter summing up this year!

You are 3 and in one month you will be 4! You are beautiful, smart,and strong-willed. You've had a busy year:

-You had a Cinderella birthday party for your 3rd birthday.

-You learned to swim underwater across the pool.

-You started school and you have some great friends: Wyatt, Bailey, Addison, and HaleighAnn to name a few. Your teacher is Mrs. Lisa!

-You started ballet this year and you love it! Your teacher is Ms. Janna and your favorite part of ballet is "Free-style" dancing.

-You are the pickiest eater on the face of the planet! But you love pizza and ice cream!

- You love to negotiate to get your way!...pretty much on everything and you always double check me on things! If I say we are out of milk, you always say, "Lemme check momma!"

-Your favorite movies are: Despicable Me 2, The Little Mermaid, and The Croods. You saw your first movie this year in a theatre with mommy and daddy: Monsters University and you kept calling it Monsters "Anniversary"! So cute!!

- One day when we were driving home from school I looked in the back seat and you had no clothes on from the waist-down, I asked, "Charli, what happened to your pants!?" And you said, "I'm just getting some fresh air"

You are the epitome of a miniature me and I see myself in you everyday. Your struggles are my struggles and your victories are mine too. I wish I could take all your anxiety, fear, and pains away but I know I cannot. This truly makes me appreciate God's love for us and the pain he endured sacrificing his Son for us.

My resolution this year is to become a better mother by actively focusing on growing stronger in my relationship with Christ.

I love you Charli Kay and your sisters more than anything!!!

Happy New Year my sweet angel!

Love,

Momma




I love you girls.

Central Market Crash

So Friday night Troy and I decided it would be nice to take the family out for a nice dinner and some shopping at our lovely Central Market here in Fort Worth.....Can you tell where this is going?



We pack up the car, Charli is in a cute little dress, the twins are in matching outfits, and we are ready to have the perfect family evening. We arrive at Central Market and head off to the salad bar, I make the $15.00 salad and Troy gets some yummy goodies and we find a nice seat. Of course we get a few "freak show" stares from onlookers but things are going great. The twins are laughing, Charli is making conversation, and we are having a nice family meal!



Charli begs to go out to the playground and with some hesitation we come up with the plan that Troy will take Charli out to play, and I will shop with the twins. As soon as we put Libbi in the buggy I knew something switched. I couldn't tell if it was the way she was sitting or simply the change in location but I knew Libbi was not happy but I ventured off into supermarket heaven.....or what was about to be the complete opposite.



I head in the backwards direction through the store to the bakery, Libbi is beginning to fuss and upon my arrival a sweet Central Market employee asks me if the twins can have a cookie? And I'm like "Hell Yes, they can have a cookie! anything to keep them from fussing!" I thank the lady for the cookies, and I see a coworker and friend, we chat, but all the while I am thinking of my ticking-time-bomb twins that are about to explode at any minute...


Sidenote...anyone out there who attempts to have conversations with mothers of infants please do not judge them or comment about how crazy or disconnected they were even if their children were perfectly behaved, for it is unknown if that mother is working on 2 hours sleep, just changed her 18th diaper of the day, or just finger-swiped her toddler's mouth because they decided to shove a whole half of grilled cheese down their throat! We are working with all we have, so if we struggle to carry a good conversation please try again later.



Back to the Central Market Bakery...

I finish my conversation with my friend and then move on through the bakery only to notice that strangers are staring even more heavily on my girls. I look down and discover why.

Libbi is completely covered with chocolate. She looks like she's been rolling in it. I resort to grabbing those wax paper donut grabber things from the muffin area and try to wipe off the chocolate! It's like a chocolate BLOW-OUT! But all over her face and legs. She gets flustered at this point and starts to scream and I flee to the corner of the bakery and get her out of the buggy.

Time to bail:


I text Troy: "I need you in the bakery STAT"

His response: "Serious?"

My inner response....Are you BLEEPING kidding me?????? Get your BLEEP in here!"

My real response: "YES, I am in the milk section now"

I made it to the dairy area and Josi notices Libbi is free so she begins to scream. I am now on the floor of Central Market getting Josi out of the son-of-a-buggy and trying to keep my cool. I notice out of the corner of my eye another Central Market employee coming up to me. I grab Josi and he asks, "Mam' you look like you could use some help?" I just say, "Yes sorry I just need to leave my buggy, my girls are not happy and I need to leave." I walk away one way and realize I need to walk back the opposite direction in hopes of seeing Troy.

My phone rings in my back pocket but with no hands free to answer I am like a walking alarm with a ringtone and two screaming babies!

An older man and his wife see me and say, "You got yer hands full!"

I reply, "Literally!" and the man responds, "You looking for something?"

I said, "My husband." and he replies back, "I bet he had something to do with those two...haha"

At this point I snickered and thought to myself where in the BLEEP is Troy!!!!!!


I see my Central Market employee friend again and he asks if I need help finding something and at this point I think I may have yelled, "MY HUSBAND!"

With every muscle in my arms burning from the 25lb twin in each I think I just told myself over and over, "GET TO THE CAR!!! GET TO THE CAR!!!"

I made it to the grassy area by the car and then I am in a predicament: Call Troy with the phone in my back pocket or try to find my keys in my purse. I decide to call Troy and hold each twins' hand while squeezing the phone in between my shoulder and ear....Ring.....Josi starts flopping on the ground.....Ring......Libbi starts screaming to get away....Ring....Mommy is about to have a mega-momma-freak-out!! No answer...

I hold the girls down for a second and then get my keys out of my purse. I get them strapped in the van and Troy walks up. Nothing needed to be said, but he chose to ask, "Why didn't you answer your phone?"

"Because I had 2 BABIES in my arms!!!!!!"

Enough said.

He knew to choose silence until we got home.

We were almost home when I looked in the back of the van and jokingly sarcastically said, "The next person in this car that laughs is getting a spanking!!!"



All three girl cracked up laughing! Even though I was still high strung I really did feel better.

And after telling my mom what happened she and my dad came over the next morning and watched the girls so Troy and I could "replay" our Central Market Crash minus the munchkins. Thank you mom and dad! I love you!!!

Two words about sum it up:

TWIN LIFE!

Here are some pictures I took this morning while enjoying coffee and hanging out on the back porch...Twin Life is not always crazy!