struttin' our stutz

we celebrated the nativity hardcore...by having a baby...

2012-01-15T11:01:00.000-08:00

well, as i mentioned in the previous post, our original plan was to spend christmas with our utah family this year, but we decided that since we don't really know what my body does with a normal pregnancy, we should probably stick closer to home around christmas, just in case. our plans then became going to my mom's house near sacramento to meet up with family there on christmas eve. at my dr. appt the week before i asked my doc if he thought it would be okay for me to travel on christmas eve--we would only be driving two hours away. he said that he didn't think it was such a good idea. sure, i still had 2 weeks until i would deliver, but his recommendation was that i not leave the area after 36 weeks. so, much to our disappointment (and my mom's) we decided we would just stick around here and have our own little family christmas.
so, on christmas eve we woke up and had a pretty typical saturday morning and afternoon--except for the contractions i had been having off and on. they were so sporadic that i didn't think too much of them. i even tried timing them at one point, but they were so far apart i lost interest. at about 6 o'clock, they started becoming a little more consistent...like every 8 minutes or so. they weren't super strong or anything, but i told my doctor if anything i would err on the side of caution and come in if it seemed like i was going into labor. i especially didn't want it to go on too long because recovery from a c-section is more difficult if you go into full-blown labor. so, even though we felt TERRIBLE, we called the friends in our ward who were on stand by in case i did go early to watch the girls. we were so embarrassed to have to impose on christmas eve of all nights! and to make matters worse, they were hosting their whole family for dinner that evening, so i felt like we were just adding to the chaos. but they truly are the kindest people ever, and assured us that it was no big deal. fortunately we only needed them to watch them for a couple of hours since my mom would be on her way up, and the weather was even cooperating--no snow on the pass!
so, we dropped them off and jordan and i headed to the hospital. when we got to the labor and delivery unit i explained that i had been having contractions and wanted to be hooked up to a monitor just to make sure i wasn't imagining things and that i was in fact in labor. so, they put us in a room, hooked me up to everything and sure enough, the contractions started hitting about every 3 minutes and i had dilated to a 2. the cute nurse that was helping us was a byu graduate and a young mother--she was so cute and so fun to talk to. go figure we would get the one mormon nurse in probably the whole unit. anyway, she called the on-call doc and told her what was happening. she came in afterwards and said that the doc wanted to put me on an iv and see if more hydration would stop the contractions. boo. i was a little bit bummed because once you are there and things start happening it's disappointing to think that you might have to go home without having had your baby.
anyway, about 10 min later the doc called again and said that she would just go ahead and deliver me because if i was having contractions and had already began dilating, there was no point in trying to stop it so that i could come back a couple of hours later with the same problem:) yes! so, they got us all ready for surgery and into the o.r. we went.
i was pretty surprised at how calm i felt during all of this. i was nervous for sure, but i think that since i had gone through it before i kind of had some idea of what to expect, and that helped. so, we went into the o.r. at about 9:10pm or so and he was here 20 min. later! it was so fun to actually be able to see him right away! a privilege i did not have when the girls were born since they had to be whisked away to the nicu. after the nurses cleaned him up and announced his weight ( 8lbs 2oz), the doc who delivered said that my dates must have been off or something because he was definitely "fully cooked." jordan and the babe then went to the nursery for a bit while i was being sewn up, but we met back up in the recovery room about a half hour later. that was when i got to hold graham for the first time--it was emotional, magical, and perfect all rolled into one. he was fleshy and pink just like a newborn ought to be--i was instantly in love. after about an hour or so of our nurse watching my vitals, we were wheeled into our hospital room. jordan then went to pick up the girls and take them home to bed and my mom arrived at the hospital not long after.

mom and jordan sort of tag-teamed being home with the girls and with me at the hospital. moms and husbands are just so darn handy to have around after giving birth. anyway, the adjustment has been interesting to say the least. the baby is a perfect angel, and not hard to take care of at all, and the girls have been doing pretty good for the most part...but my goodness, i forgot how difficult the recovery from a c-section is, and then piling all of the regular post-partum emotions on top of that--it has been a roller coaster ride for sure. i am just so so grateful that jordan has had this whole month off of school. i really don't know what i would have done if graham came when he was expected to come and i would have only had 2 weeks of jordan's help. these last 3 weeks have been long, and the recovery slow--it's hard to be patient. there would have been no way i could have taken care of it all two weeks after surgery. thankfully heavenly father knew this and gave me a couple of extra weeks with him.
anyway, about baby's name, in case you are wondering...well, like i have mentioned to many of you, boy names are super hard for us to come up with. when we found out we were having twins the first time around, i was so glad we ended up having two girls because we had zero ideas for boy names. anyway, this time around was no different...but we did have to come up with something--we had no choice! for the longest time i had thought that we would use my maiden name (graham) as our boys' middle names. this is what my parents did with my mom's maiden name (erickson) for all of my brothers, and i just kind of liked the idea of them having both of our family surnames forever. plus, graham is a legit boy name, so even better. anyway, we were discussing this one night and jordan said "what if i like graham for a first name? can we do that instead?" i loved the idea. we knew that we really wanted to use family names from both sides of the family like we did with the girls so it was a perfect fit. as for his middle name--robison is the maiden name of jordan's grandmother who passed away this past november. she was such an amazing lady and we really wanted to pay tribute to her. our new baby boy has brought such a sweet spirit with him into our home, and i feel confident that he will do wonderful things with his name.
so, needless to say, christmas kind of got post-poned at our house until graham and i came home from the hospital. when we got home that tuesday afternoon we opened presents and made a yummy ham dinner.

even though baby definitely changed our plans, it really was the perfect way to spend christmas eve--thinking about how excited mary and joseph must have been to receive their precious little baby boy. we are so grateful for the blessings that we have been given through our savior jesus christ. because of him, we will be able to spend forever with our little family. what greater gift is there?

thanksgiving...

2012-01-08T09:37:00.000-08:00

okay, time for some serious catching up on the old blog-er-ino. this year our original plan was to spend thanksgiving in california and christmas in utah since it was the other way around last year, but when we found out my due date would be so close to christmas, we decided we should probably go the further distance on thanksgiving:)

me and my good friend sally--both feeling ready to pop.

we had a great time in utah! we stayed at jordan's parents' house since his sisters (the current tenants) were planning to spend thanksgiving with those cute missionaries in canada. the girls did great on the drive--a definite tender mercy. i was a little nervous about how they would do, newly potty-trained and everything, but it turned out my pregnant self had to stop the car way more than the girls did:) we also scored some great weather on the drive, which made for a smooth trip.
we arrived the evening before thanksgiving and celebrated the next day with jordan's family first. since his side of the family is so huge, jordan's sister, kenni, reserved her church so we could have the party there. we had a great time catching up with family and stuffing ourselves to the brim. our sister-in-law emlyn also arranged a "sprinkle" (not quite a shower:) in honor of the new babe, in conjunction with thanksgiving--since we were all gathered anyway.

it was such a cute little addition to the thanksgiving feast. later that evening, we headed to my sister's house for thanksgiving round 2. it was just as delicious and the company was also a pleasure. we were so grateful that we were able to spend that time of reflection and gratitude with so many people we love.

cute little cousins showing off their gingerbread christmas trees

the second day we were in utah, we received a call from jordan's dad telling us that his mom's health was declining and that we might want to go visit her right away. we were very glad we did. when we got to her home in provo she had already been moved to a hospital bed and she was in obvious discomfort. as we would talk to her and ask her questions, she would begin a sentence, but not be able to finish it because the pain was so great. our hearts ached for her, but we were so glad that we were able to see her while we were in utah. because of her condition, jordan's parents and sisters decided to start driving home to be with grandma. although the circumstances were not happy, we were so glad that we were able to visit with mom and dad--we miss them so much!
the next day we went to visit grandma again, to basically say "good bye." that was heart-wrenching, but i am so glad that we were able to be there. our girls LOVED their great grandma stutz so much. while living in jordan's parents' house, we would visit her every sunday after church. the first few sundays we had after we moved to reno, the girls would tell us it was "time to go see grandma" after church. we were glad that their young minds have so many wonderful memories of grandma.
unfortunately, because jordan had school, we literally stayed for just the weekend and then headed back home. when we arrived home we received the call from dad that grandma had passed. we were sad, but at the same time we felt much peace, knowing that grandma and grandpa were finally reunited. our next step was making plans to return to utah the next weekend to attend the funeral. we were kind of nervous about how the girls would do having to make that drive two weekends in a row, but they were complete troopers--which made our lives a lot easier. we attended the funeral, which was lovely, and during that second trip to utah, we were also able to attend the sealing of jordan's brother and wife to the last three of their adopted nine children. they are an incredible family, and we were so happy that circumstances allowed us to be there for that event.
even though the end of november seemed like a complete roller coaster, we were so grateful for the timing of everything--it all seemed to fall into place for us. we are grateful for the blessing of eternal families and we are so grateful that we are "stuck" with the people that we are, forever:)

halloween...

2011-11-03T09:34:00.001-07:00

despite being a lousy photographer who only took two pictures, we really did have a great halloween weekend. on saturday night we went to our ward's trunk-or-treat, and the girls quickly caught on to the idea of saying-trick-or-treat = candy. jordan stayed at our car to pass out candy while i took the girls through the rest of the parking lot. when we had hit all the cars we began walking back and i said, "c'mon guys, let's go show dad your loot". i probably shouldn't have because the whole way back tilly was yelling "dad, look at my loot!". they are hilarious. on monday night we drove to my mom's for some of her famous chili and other delicious foods. her neighborhood is ideal for trick-or-treating, and it brought back a lot of memories, as that is the same neighborhood i trick-or-treated in as a kid. we had lots of comments on our little cat and dog. we thought the costumes were fitting since they sometimes fight like cats and dogs. my friend chrissie found the kitty costume at a garage sale for a QUARTER! can you believe it? i love garage sales. so that great find kind of determined what the girls would be and we set out to find a puppy costume. i felt a little bad though that tilly's costume was so girly and avery's looked a little boyish--so we dressed it up a little with a pink bow. yes, this halloween was a success. lots of candy and no throwing up on the way home:)

thoughts on potty training...

2011-10-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

potty training seems to consume a lot of our lives these days. the girls are actually doing quite well, which i am happy about. what i am not happy about are the occasional slip-ups that occur when i think we are finally in the clear.
for instance, after a long spell of no accidents, the other day at the park i said to the girls "okay, one more time down the slide and then we need to go home so you can take a potty-break" (we had gone to the park directly from the store, so it had been a while). anyway, immediately after this announcement, tilly stops right where she stands and starts peeing her pants. ugh. why?
on the way home i kept saying "tilly, we need to wait until we get to a bathroom before we go--if we don't it feels gross" (she had been whining about being all wet, and i didn't anticipate an accident enough to bring extra clothes).
anyway, so we get home and i take her into the bathroom, and i realize that she didn't just go pee, but worse. as i am cleaning up the mess, trying not to gag, i just kept asking her "why tilly? why did you do this?" she just looked at me like, 'what's the big deal?'
throughout this whole potty-training process, i have often thought about how it relates to our experiences as children of God on earth. when it comes to potty-training, i lose patience too often. i guess inwardly i think, 'this should just come naturally, shouldn't it?'or 'why won't it just click already?'
because Heavenly Father is perfectly patient, he will never give up on us when we make mistakes. he knows that things that come so naturally to him will only come to us with practice, and often beginning again. he has faith that one day, things will finally "click" for us with continued practice.
i am especially grateful for the patience he has with me as a mom. i feel like every day i do something to fall short, but i am so grateful for second chances and for the opportunities given me through my little girls to grow and progress. hopefully someday i will get there--and with no accidents:)

5 years ago today...

2011-10-06T13:24:00.001-07:00

i scored, big time. here's to forever! love you jordan:)

2011-09-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

yeah, it's been a good summer....

2011-09-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

we have packed quite a lot in the last month and a half--which is good since jordan started school this week and we won't be seeing him until decemeber. despite feeling tired and lousy most days (i am not good at being pregnant), we have had lots of fun and made a lot of memories. forgive me for only listing the events--i just wanted to make sure i had something down to chronicle everything:
-we spent as much time as possible with our "utah" family before our big move. we frequented "the peaks" (a term you would only understand if you are on the inside) with our season passes, and went camping with the snarr/van orden gang. i attended my cute cousin's wedding reception in sundance which made for a mini erickson family reunion. we also partied hard with the stutzes at our annual stutz family reunion up ogden canyon. yes, we had a blast with all of these lovely people, however i am loser-y and didn't snap a single shot of these blessed occasions. i was just having too much fun i guess.
-we moved! at the end of july we packed our little moving truck and hauled everything to the exotic land of reno, nv. we are really happy here. the more we explore the city, the more we like it. plus, our little rental house is adorable, and our ward is awesome!

-the weekend after we were settled in (thanks again to my fam, including bestie chrissie;) for all their hard work) we made the trek to seaside, oregon for the erickson family reunion (mom's side). even though the drive was excrutiating and our kids pretty much hated our guts for making them be in the car for not one, but two car trips over 8 hrs within one week, it was absolutely gorgeous and the trip was well worth it. what is it about seeing and being with family that you haven't seen in ages? magical. our beach house digs weren't too shabby either. jordan and i decided that we would be fine with waking up to the sound and view of the ocean for the rest of our lives....you know, if it comes to that.

-when we returned from seaside, we decided that we really like vacationing and we haven't had enough of it, so we went to king's beach at lake tahoe on a saturday. it was packed, but that didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves. i always forget how massive and absolutely breath-taking lake tahoe is. you would honestly think you were at the ocean if it weren't for those mountains closing in the water in the far distance. close to lake tahoe=definite perk to living in reno.

-the next weekend we traveled the short 2 hrs (yay!) to see my family in folsom. we had fun sitting around, relaxing, swimming at our friend's house, and eating. while we were there we also had a tech from my mom's work see if she could find out what kind of baby we were having, like the last time i was 18 weeks along. anyway, it turned out pretty inconclusive, but her best guess is that it is a girl. more on that after my dr. appt. on the 8th.
-just this last weekend we celebrated the girls' 3rd birthday while my mom was in town for a spell. my brother jesse and his fam also came to visit so the girls could have some cousins to play with in honor of their big day. i can't believe those little rascals are 3 already. although they are quite hilarious at this age, it saddens me that their "babyhood" is basically over. we sure love our girls, and we know they are going to make great big sisters. my mom brought them some dishes and chef wear to open for their little kitchen and boy were they thrilled. they were totally annoyed with us for trying to snap shots of them in their hats, when all they really wanted to do is go play...like their birthday is all about them or something...we also went to chuck e cheese with my mom the day of, and pretty much spent a couple of hours and a chunk of change trying to convince them to go on the cute little coin-operated kid rides. they weren't having it, and we could not figure out what the problem was since they were fearless on all of the disneyland rides. but of course, when we were out of tokens and it was time to go, all they wanted to do was ride the rides. ugh. good thing they are so darn cute;)

anyway, that about wraps it up. we really did have a great summer and the best part was jordan not having to work for like a month and a half of it. but now school has started and so has the madness. wish us luck!

guys, stuff is happening...

2011-07-04T09:05:00.002-07:00

i just stink at blogging about it. also, if you haven't already heard, we are expecting a little bambino in january, so i haven't felt like doing much of anything lately. we went in last friday and had the dr. make SURE that there was only one kidlet before we moved all of the doubles we have of baby stuff (crib, car seat, double stroller...). now we get to leave all of that stuff here, in a good new home.
anyway, we are excited about the new changes that await us. obviously, the new baby is our most exciting, but also on the list? well, we will be moving to reno this month. on the 21st to be exact. jordan and i flew out a couple of weekends ago to look for places, and we found a cute little home just east of campus, which is perfect since jordan's building is even on the east side. if you are interested, below is a little link with some pictures of our new place:
660 Maddux
it will be an adjustment moving from jordan's parent's spacious house to a much smaller one, but we are just grateful that we found something! and that it was a single family home with somewhat of a yard. after having a yard, i doubt i will ever be able to go back to apartment living. i just enjoy the outdoor living space too much.
so, we will be out there approximately one month before jordan needs to be on campus, which will be nice. we can get ourselves nice and settled, and acquainted with the city before i'm pretty much on my own. i have to say that while i am excited to open this new chapter in our lives, i am a little nervous about it. i am going to miss jordan, like A LOT. we have been super spoiled with his dreamy work schedule these last couple years--and we will really miss having him around as much. but people have done grad school and lived and we will do it, and everything will be fine. AND, at least i will have my little buddies there to help me and entertain me. they really are my best little friends, and i feel so blessed to be able to take them with me on this adventure. plus, we will only be 2 hours away from my family, so that will be a nice change.
anyway, happy fourth everyone! hopefully you are doing something fabulous with those you love. what better way to celebrate freedom?!

of all the tulips in the world, jordan's are my favorite...

2011-05-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

...but these were still pretty amazing:)

the thanksgiving point tulip festival made for an enchanting family home evening one monday... we were all oohs and aahs over the vibrant colors and lovely scents that surrounded us.

maybe we'll come back and go again next year...

obsessed....

2011-05-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

these girls are almost as obsessed with ballerinas as i am with these girls...

if they could, they would watch clips of ballerinas dancing on youtube all day. looks like we have quite a few dance recitals in our future...

is it too late to post about easter and mother's day?

2011-05-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

probably. but i am going to anyway. easter was wonderful! we were worried our after church easter egg hunt was going to get rained out, but by some glorious easter miracle, the weather turned nice for those 45 minutes, and we got some great shots of the kiddos in all their hunting glory.
lindsey's adorable easter table, pre-feast...

tilly and avery looking very intent on finding those darned eggs...

and that was the only shot i got of them together that day--totally blinded by the sun. good mom right here.

and speaking of being a good mom, on to mother's day. mine was lovely. what a wonderful thing to celebrate. we skyped with our moms (grandmas) and the saturday before i received a surprise from the girls that looked like this...

i knew it was from them because of the way the card that came with them was written...

and yes, avery does call me maci. in fact, 60% of what she says to me during a whole day begins with the phrase, "maci, look!". i love my little girls, and i sure do love being their mom:)

projects...

2011-05-24T11:47:00.000-07:00

i wish i would have documented all the before and afters of projects we have undertaken while living at jordan's parent's house, but alas, i am not so good at thinking ahead. we were hoping to take on a lot more, before their return home in a year, but since we will be moving in july, someone else will have to pick up where we have left off. we haven't done anything too major, but jordan and i did really want to make improvements to the house while we were there, as a thank you. mom and dad stutz are amazing people who have always put the needs and wants of others before their own-- and we think that they are more than deserving of an improved upon living space to come home to. seriously guys, i really do have the most amazing in-laws. anyway, here is one recent project i did document somewhat... some time ago, mom and dad re-did much of their upstairs, including putting laminate flooring throughout the living room and hallway. we thought it would look nice to finish it into the dining room, giving the appearance of more space. jordan and brother-in-law tim worked hard to take on the project and it was finished in under 9 hrs. way to go boys!
the old linoleum close up...

old flooring removed all the way down to the original flooring jordan remembers when they moved into this house twenty-something years ago...

new sub-flooring, being thoroughly tested by the girls for durability...

and finally, the finished product!

looks awesome, right? i have to say it sure is handy to have a handy husband--plus he looks really cute whenever he does something manly:)

for your consideration radio city music hall...

2011-04-19T18:07:00.000-07:00

they sing...

("i hope they call me on a mission"}

they dance...

and they will be happy to bounce out any unwanted riff-raff a la friar tuck in disney's robin hood...

so,what do ya think? impressive,right?

2011-04-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

isn't that picture scary? well friends, it looks like we will be joining the "wolf pack" soon--this august to be exact. we received the news last week that jordan had been accepted to UNR (University of Nevada Reno) for his graduate studies, and had been given a very generous offer (can you tell i am a proud wifey?). we are so pleased with the way things have turned out and are so grateful for the heavenly guidance we have received as we begin this new chapter in our lives.
i am excited to be only two hours away from my family, and still not too far from jordan's. not to mention being able to still live close to a temple, and beautiful mountains--two things i will miss about utah.
while these changes are exciting, there is still a big piece of me that will miss utah. especially now that my sister and i are actually living close to each other! that will all change this summer. but utah has been good to us. we finished school here. we started our family here. jordan had his first real job here. we have made good friends and become even closer to family here.
it will be an adjustment for sure--but for now we are just excited to see what the future holds for us. go wolf pack!

some things i love...

2011-03-17T11:18:00.000-07:00

-taking a tasty family nap on the weekends
-watching the girls run over to the front window so they can watch the "garbag guck" drive by on monday mornings
-going on dates with my favorite guy (and beating him at mini-golf:)
-freshly mopped kitchen floors
-reading good books
-taking walks with my family
-watching the girls fold their chubby little arms for prayer and tell each other to shush
-baking
-hearing the front door open at 3pm when jordan gets home from work
-listening to my girls singing in the other room
-going to nursery (this is our calling in our ward and we are having a ball)
-taking a few quiet moments in the mornings to read the scriptures and pray
-finding a swimsuit online that might actually work
-helping people feel better through massage
-painting mini toe nails
and much, much more:)

partying "last airbender" style...

2011-02-22T13:09:00.000-08:00

the entire four years we have been married, i have never really done anything spectacular for jordan's birthday. we usually just end up going out to dinner and having some sort of family party on the nearest sunday to the date. we always have a good time, but this year i wanted to really go all out. so, with the help of my sister and our dear friend sally (the arteest), the "avatar: the last airbender" surprise party was set in motion...

surprise!

jordan thought we were dropping the kids off at my sister's so that we could go out to dinner... little did he know that the party of all parties was waiting for his arrival...

we had element bending games, a yummy spread of chinese food (thanks costco), and awesome paper lanterns and cartoon paintings to decorate...

the kids and adults enjoyed themselves-- but best of all, my big adult kid was completely surprised and thought it was the best party ever:)

p.s. if you are confused as to why we all have blue arrows on our heads, i recommend you watch the series. after a 5 episode commitment, you will realize that it is a show very worthy of your time:)

2011-02-21T13:20:00.000-08:00

do you ever find yourself whining over very small things that don't make a bit of difference in the long run, but seem like a really BIG deal at the time? the worst part is when you look back and feel really silly for every being upset or overwhelmed by something so small because you realize how incredibly blessed you really are....

the girls spilled an entire pitcher of orange juice all over the floor the other day, and this is why i am now grateful for it:
- my girls are typical, inquisitive 2-year-olds who are right on target for their age
- they have healthy and strong bodies that were able to walk them over to the fridge, open the door, and lift the heavy pitcher out of the refrigerator
- they were working together to get the job done--they are learning about teamwork
- they smiled really cute, teethy grins at me when i discovered them

...yeah, i guess sticky floors aren't so bad in the great, grand scheme of things...

nummy...

2011-02-09T17:21:00.000-08:00

avery wearing my rain boots...

fun new bath toys from grandma and grandpa:)

you might think me weird, but have you ever just wanted to eat your little ones all up? sometimes my girls are just so stinkin' cute and delicious-looking, that all i can think about is getting a good nibble. lucky for me, they generally don't mind if i steal a kiss, or a squeeze from their very pinch-able cheeks and thighs. and it's a good thing too, because they sure endure a lot of it with me as their mom:) anyway, here are a few things the kiddos have been doing lately to enhance their cuteness...

-- recently they found grandpa's cane in the house and we taught them how to do the can-can to the tune of 'new york, new york' while holding the cane in both hands. it is pretty darn cute!
-- they also love to jump off of anything. lately their favorite has been the fireplace, which i am fine with because it is within a safe distance from the floor. they best part is they usually shout something out before the big leap like "look!" or "watch this mama!". the best one i have heard lately is "i'm watching!"-- as that is usually what i say in response their getting my attention:)
-- one of my favorite things to observe is when they echo me and try mothering each other. for instance if i say something like "please eat your dinner tilly" avery will persist with "eat dinner, kay tills?" in the cutest, squeaky voice, like she is talking to a baby. oh, i love em!
-- another thing they have been doing lately is spilling their drinks only to ask for something to wipe it up. i admit, the spilling is not so cute most of the time, but i can't help but smile when i hear "need a wipe, please?"
-- perhaps one of my favorite hours with my girls is the hour right before dinner. i used to dread this hour--it's not easy trying to accomplish something in a kitchen with two two-year-olds under foot. but when i had the idea to include them in on the cooking, it made a huge difference! the look of pride on their chubby little faces when they pour a cup of rice in the cooker, or help mix a batter is priceless. they just stand on chairs near the counter and look on when something is too hot or dangerous. i love my little helpers. they are at such a fun age.
-- we also do music makers (kind of a musical joy school) at my sister's every tuesday, and i just love seeing them in that setting; learning new songs with motions, putting the puppets away when it's time, and marching with instruments. however, my absolute favorite part of music makers is when they do a spotlight song. this is when one child from the group stands in front of everyone and sings a solo. oh how i love to watch my girls sing snowman, wiseman, abc's, twinkle, and the like with a gooney grin from all the attention. they always do so well. i think they may grow up to be singers:)
-- before we left for our vacation to california, the girls talked about "sitting on the potty" non-stop. since we have come home, there has been little progress on that front, but we'll get there. i really don't want to rush anything only to regress because they weren't really ready. however, it is still really funny to watch them run for the potty now and again, as if they know what they are doing.

that's all i will write about my delicious children for now, but don't worry, there will be more. and have i mentioned lately how wonderful my husband is? cause he is. i will blog about his awesome birthday party soon!

well, hello...

2011-01-18T11:21:00.000-08:00

yes i know, december has come and gone, and it is high time i posted something--so here i am. with an update. lucky you:) to begin, i graduated--yippee! what a good feeling it is to no longer have homework due, or classes to attend. don't get me wrong, i absolutely loved the special ed program at byu, and i really loved and will miss being a student; it was the time it took me away from my family that i didn't like. so here's to just being "mom" again!
to celebrate my graduation, we went to disneyland for christmas. jordan had never been, so we really went more for him than the girls--but we all had a wonderful time! it was raining the entire time we were there, but that didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves. and to be perfectly honest, it was kind of nice because the rain kept the crowds away--that means short lines:) our girls were complete troopers in the rain, and on all the rides. they didn't cry once--not even on pirates of the caribbean (which was good since we rode that one a couple of times). yes, our children are awesome.

also, if you haven't been to dinseyland at christmas time, i highly recommend it. i almost felt like it was my first time too, since i had never seen it so decked out in christmas. small world is an entirely different ride at christmas.

the girls really loved dumbo too, but their all time favorite ride at the park? you guessed it, the merry-go-round. we didn't mind taking them on it several times, since there was never a line, but seriously? we came all the way to disneyland to ride on something that can be found at a mall? whatever floats your boat babies...or floats your huge plastic horses, as the case may be...

another really fun detail about disneyland is that my mom came with us. not only was she fun to have around during the day, but she also volunteered to stay with the girls at night in the hotel so that we could go back out while they were sleeping. those late nights were so much fun! we felt like little kids running from ride to ride, ooohing and ahhhing at all the work that goes into the happiest place on earth...

yes, we had a fantastic time, and we can't wait to go back someday when the girls are older.

and did we mention the turkey legs...mmm...

during our trip to southern california, we were also able to visit with my uncle chuck and his family, as well as jordan's uncle john and his family. we had a blast with them, and we were so grateful for their hospitality. we then traveled up north so that we could be with my family during christmas. it was so fun to get all of the siblings and cousins together for some good old fashioned togetherness:)

we also got to meet the newest baby in our family, baby jonah, visit my uncle rich's house to sample his heavenly bbq-ed christmas turkey, and dress up like princesses...

after christmas, we were able to stay long enough to enjoy one swingin' new year's even party--and we even got a visit from the new year's baby!

it was a vacation thoroughly enjoyed, but after so many nights on an air mattress, we are happy to be home.

stick with us--more updates on potty-training (you like that diaper turned loin cloth above?), the new home front, and our cute girls to come soon!

"i will be bock"...

2010-09-21T10:14:00.000-07:00

sorry guys. not like you didn't already know, but this blog has definitely taken the back burner lately. unfortunately, now my stove is so crowded i am going to have take it off completely for a while. don't worry, i am not abandoning the blog altogether-- it is just going to be severely neglected for the next 3 months or so while i try to plow through student teaching. so, in the hilarious words of ronith from agt, "i will be bock"...

reaching milestones...

2010-08-07T06:01:00.000-07:00

it's true. i am nearing the end of my college career, and the girls are nearing their 2nd birthday (aug 30th). i still have student teaching in the fall, but i am planning on walking next week because the only graduation date after december is in april, and we are not sure we will still be here. the girls, however, will still be 2 no matter where we end up:) i feel like they have grown leaps and bounds in this last little while. they are able to reach everything, get into everything, communicate most things, and make us laugh daily. we are so happy these little rascals are a part of our family. happy birthday girlies:)

about me?

2010-07-16T05:30:00.000-07:00

i know. i hardly ever write a post solely dedicated to me and what i am doing. and there is good reason for that-- i think jordan and the girls are way more interesting to write and read about:) but i felt it necessary to inform you all of my goings on this time in an effort to show you why this blog is so neglected. i feel my reasons are good, and excusable, but still. some people may be wondering....

as most of you know i am currently in the byu special education program, with an emphasis in teaching students with mild/moderate disabilities. as much as i miss being away from home, i have really loved the program and have made some life-long friends throughout my experience. however, as it is the summer before i graduate, my fellow students and i are undergoing the rigorous regiment that is "summer practicum." in this practicum, we test students to find their ability levels, place them in groups according to those levels, and begin teaching those groups. for the last 5 weeks, and for the next 2 still to come, my schedule has been as follows:
5:30 wake up and shower
6-6:30 girls wake up--feed them, get them clothed
7:30 drop girls off at my sisters and drive to school
7:45-8:30 prepare for the day
8:30-11:45 teach my group of 7 students (who i love!)
11:45-1:00 meet with mentor teacher and prepare for the next day
1:00 pick up girls
3:00 jordan gets home
and on mon/wed 3:30-7:00 go to special ed law class
now, this was totally overwhelming at the start. not to mention, in the first few weeks of practicum, i was called to teach relief society (which i also love!). i kind of had that feeling of being spread so thin that i was just doing the bare minimum of everything and not really excelling in anything; teacher, r.s. teacher, mom, wife, house-keeper, visiting teacher...etc. know the feeling ladies?

but, about a week and a half into practicum i realized some changes would have to be made to make it all work. so, instead of using my time at school in the morning to prepare for the day of, i now have a system where i can use that time to prepare for the next day--leaving me free to go home at 1 with everything for the next day done. that has helped a ton! although i still feel a little behind in everything, i do feel like i am making some headway. all i have to say is i am grateful for an awesome family, and the power of prayer. they have helped me through so much!

in the fall, i will be student teaching at amelia earhart elementary in provo, and i am so excited. i am excited to continue practicing teaching, but probably more so to graduate and be a full-time mom again to my girls. i have missed them so much through all of this! anyway, those are the fun and exciting things happening in my life...in case you were wondering. also, does anyone feel like writing a research paper about "no child left behind"? let me know...

he's got me locked in...

2010-05-25T08:38:00.000-07:00

every morning before jordan leaves at 5:30 in the am (yawn) for work, we say prayers and then i hear him leave out the front door through my half-asleep grog. right after the door closes, i hear the lock turn from the outside. he takes the time to lock the girls and i in before heading to work.
now, i am not naive to the fact that if a robber or kidnapper really wanted to intrude, a locked door wouldn't stop them, but there is just something about this simple act that is just so incredibly romantic to me. that he even thinks to stop and lock us in before leaving, just makes me feel safe... and good.
this is just a small example of the unconventional romance that i am able to find in every day. sure, it is always lovely to receive flowers or go on fancy get-a-ways, but the times i feel jordan has really swept me off of my feet are through his quiet and constant acts of service and love.
i love that he always takes the babies during the night-shift no matter what. he has done this from the start. even though he is the one who has to be up and out so early every morning, he usually hears them and jumps up to be with them before i even hear a peep. in extension of this he usually lets me sleep in on the weekends too. on saturday and sunday mornings, he is usually up with the girls at around 6:30, and i don't hear a sound until i wake up at about 7:30 because he has closed our door and tried to keep the girls as quiet as possible.
when he comes home exhausted from work at about 3:00, i love how he finds extra energy to play with his girls, and make dinner while i attend my evening classes at school. it is such a huge relief to know that if i can't be home with the girls, jordan makes an effort so he can be.
i love how he is always willing to help out, whenever i ask him to. he does dishes, gives the girls baths, folds laundry, gives foot rubs, mops...he does anything he can to make my "job" easier. he also makes my well-being a priority to him. he will ask "do you need to go get a massage?" "would you like to go lie down for a bit?" "why don't i take the girls for a walk while you finish your homework?"
i know there many good husbands like this, but there are also many who are not. how in the world i got so lucky, i am not quite sure...but i am just so glad i did...

mother of all posts....

2010-04-30T08:54:00.000-07:00

i wanna go here again this weekend....

my program at byu requires me to go straight through to december. good news: i will be finished within the year. bad news: no breaks or vacation until after graduation. in light of this, we decided to take a family jaunt to st. george (i had never been before) to catch some rays and enjoy a long weekend before i am put through the wringer. and that is exactly what we did....

since we left early thursday morning, and weren't necessarily in a rush to get there, we stopped along the way at the church history site, cove fort. it was so fun to take the tour (led by the cutest little sister missionary) and to hear about the stalwart faith of pres. hinckley's ancestors in heeding brigham young's call to create a resting place for saints who were traveling across the desert.

we got into town at about 1 o'clock, so we had plenty of time to lazily walk the temple grounds as well as visit a dinosaur fossil museum.

we were glad to see our girls are on the right track, even at such a young age:)

this museum was pretty neat... it was very small, but it was built around a the remnants of a pre-existing lake that was filled with fossils and prints. we probably found it much more interesting than the little girls did...

on friday we just shopped, ate, and lounged by the pool... it was wonderful. then on saturday we went and visited zion's national park...

...for free! it would have even been worth the usual $25, but we got in free as some sort of promotion happening that week. it was absolutely GORGEOUS! jordan and i discussed how completely insignificant you can feel among these towers of rock--and yet at the same time, it was all created just for us to enjoy....

...simply amazing.

on friday, in addition to lounging, we also visited the jacob hamblin home (which was another church history site) as well as brigham young's winter home. if you have never heard of jacob hamblin, research him. you will NOT be sorry. not only was he an incredibly faithful saint, but he also has a lot to do with the settlement of the west. how have all of these sites been in the same state as me for almost 4 years and i haven't visited them before?

on sunday after church we began the drive home, but not without making a quick stop at the kolob canyons (another entrance into zion's). it was a perfect trip. we were able to fit so much in, yet it was incredibly low-stress and relaxing.

see you again in december, vacation time....

p.s. some trivia for you: did you know that utah was declared a state in the st. george tabernacle? also, look up why st. george is called st. george...pretty interesting:)

tricks cont'd...

2010-04-22T12:34:00.000-07:00

p.s. you will have to scroll down to see the original post--i started it too long ago and just finished it today:)

chopped.

2010-04-11T14:03:00.001-07:00

this friday i went from long and blond

to short and more natural

and i quite like it!

predicament...

2010-04-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

is it cruel to run for the camera when an instance like this occurs?

that is the underside of a gliding ottoman by the way...

silly tilly...

2010-04-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

tilly definitely deserves a post of her own too. she is such a funny little person. she loves to dance and play airplane with daddy. she is also very good at pushing our buttons and getting into mischief. if she knows she is not supposed to do something, she will slyly look at us and do it anyway. you know the look. she also said her name for the first time this last week. it sounded like " tee-dee." needless to say, this girl melts our hearts...

the funny hair is due to banana hands. don't you just love when they do that?

hope you had a happy easter!

2010-04-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

little rascals...

2010-03-30T11:26:00.000-07:00

have we mentioned lately how much we absolutely adore these two? they are at such a fun age; constantly learning and picking up on things (and getting into EVERYTHING). anyway, here a few of our favorite tricks:

scripture time is reverent time...

2010-03-30T08:41:00.000-07:00

...or at least it's supposed to be.

we're not sure why, but the girls seem to be at their rowdiest during the half-hour leading up to bedtime. it's actually quite funny, which is why we chose to document it. thankfully, they are a little more reverent for family prayer following scriptures:)

p.s. is there anything better than a baby in a diaper? or no, two babies in diapers? i submit that there is not.

avery the clown...

2010-03-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

avery has just had a few too many picture-worthy moments lately...

she definitely thinks she is hot stuff now that she can climb up on the computer chair...look at her swinging those legs...
the other morning she woke up looking a little remeniscent of sloth from goonies

initially we thought it was pink eye, so she missed nursery that day. but the swelling just went down on its own as the day wore on, so we are thinking maybe she just slept on that one side for a very long time.

tell me this girl isn't a ham! we sure love our aves...

the trench...

2010-03-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

so my sister lindsey, who has impeccable taste in children's clothes, sent this trench out with all of her other cute, kid's hand-me-downs-- i absolutely LOVE it. however, one problem i come across often with my doublets is that when it comes to hand-me-downs (which we are so grateful for) there will be one article of clothing that is just SO incredibly cute, that i have nothing decent enough to pair it with for the other twin. and so it is with the trench... sounds silly i know, but some of you will understand...

a lot of times people ask us...

2010-02-26T14:28:00.000-08:00

who we think the girls look like most

is there any question really?

dancing queens...

2010-02-26T14:08:00.000-08:00

remember this post of the girls dancing? well, their moves have evolved a little. two disclaimers about these videos: a.) while cleaning my room i turned on our clock radio to a pop station because i can usually get the girls to dance to it. in truth, i am not a frequent radio listener so i have no idea what music is "in." b.) please ignore my encouragement for more dancing, does anyone else hate hearing their recorded voice? anyway.

silly faces of the sick...

2010-02-26T14:03:00.000-08:00

a couple of weeks ago our family got hit hard with the stomach flu. somehow, miraculously, i evaded it, so i was able to take care of the rest of the gang. the girls had major cabin fever during that week, and they were a little well, loopy at times:) these were the faces i got when i asked the girls to smile.

tilly and her lizard-neck smile

and avery's fake smile...

thanks for the beauty shots girls, definitely frame-wrothy:)

tutu cute!

2010-02-26T13:57:00.000-08:00

while my mom was here she talked me into buying these. i have to say i am glad she did--they fit the girls perfectly, and they love to wear them over just about everything. our aspiring ballerinas!

p.s. if you are mom and haven't been to crazy 8 kids clothing store, go! they have some really cute stuff for good prices:)

toga party anyone?

2010-02-26T13:52:00.001-08:00

i'm sure it comes as no surprise to you that haven't been the best blogger lately--and i like to think i have some pretty good excuses (i wish one of them was that i am too busy keeping up with the girls' baby books). at any rate, pictures such as this cannot go undocumented. enjoy!
every time we would fix her onesie, she would readjust it. funny baby:)

our mini-olympics...

2010-02-19T07:13:00.000-08:00

every month each of jordan's siblings contribute to a stutz family newsletter aptly named "stutz nutz & botlz." jordan's sister jana then compiles the newsletter and sends one to each household. it is such fun way to journal and keep tabs on everyone else. anyway, jordan wrote this month's for our family and i thought it was pretty clever, so i thought i'd share:

Now that both babies are walking, we are having our own olympic games: Stuff like foot races, climbing, anything toss (including cookies), and an occasional wrestling match. Too bad they are two years early...or late. Unfortunately, OUR games include refereeing, cleaning up said cookies, and scrambling to save babies from falling off couches or down stairs.
Competitors' Stats:
Avery - weight: 20.68 lbs (8.64%) - height: 31.0 in. (42.87%) - head circumference: 18.0 in. (32.62%)
Matilda- weight: 19.53 lbs (2.58%) - height: 29.5 in. (8.52%) - head circumference: 18.25 in. (51.44%)

And the results of the games:

Gold medal for foot races goes to...Avery!
Gold medal for cookie toss goes to... Matilda!
Gold medal for climbing goes to ...Avery!
Gold medal for huge head goes to... Matilda!
And last but not least...gold medal for having the cutest twins EVER goes to....Jordan and Maci!

Love to all from Provo 2010

love him...

2010-01-21T21:05:00.000-08:00

happy birthday!

to the best husband, daddy (& horsey) we know! we hope it was a good one for you!
love you so much,
your girls:)

p.s. adorable fabric birthday banner courtesy of my sister, lindsey--i think we might just keep it up all year long!

...and a happy new year!

2010-01-04T18:45:00.000-08:00

we wish you a merry christmas...

2009-12-22T11:21:00.000-08:00

true. this is somewhat of a cop-out as far as christmas cards go, but to be frank i just didn't have the energy this year. however, we do not want the holiday season to pass without expressing to our friends and loved ones best wishes of the season. we love you and feel so blessed to have you in our lives!

jordan, maci,
& girls

...and also, new hats...

2009-12-09T08:39:00.000-08:00

we are just loving the new hats the girls received from a friend of grandma stutz's. she made 4 total... tilly is sporting one of the models, and avery is in the other one. they turned out SO cute! thanks deanne!

we just love this shot of tilly. she looks like she is doing a fake laugh for a catalog ad or something...

thankful to be back in one piece!

2009-12-05T20:35:00.000-08:00

weird. my computer is being funny, and is only showing all the crazy lettering when i download pictures, so i will just do a little commentary first since i have no way of knowing which pictures are which.
anyway.... we had a very fun thanksgiving. we decided to go to california for thanksgiving this year so that we didn't have to worry about the 4 hour, white-knuckle drive through donner summit over christmas (like we did last year). turns out it was a good choice what with all the snow we're getting! anyway, as always, it was such a fun trip--and the girls did surprisingly well on the drive. wednesday was our first full day there, so we took advantage of it by visiting a family favorite: apple hill. have you ever been in a situation where you go somewhere and they have so many delicious treats that you have a hard time deciding what to get? apple hill is one of those place... from the apple donuts, to the carmel apples, to the fresh cider, and mile-high apple pies...they have something that is sure to please every pallet or, as is the case with me, the same pallet over and over:)
in addition to all of the yummies, apple hill has a lot of fun places to explore too. one of our favorites is kids inc. a small, family owned apple farm that even has a few animals. tilly did NOT like the chickens... but warmed up to the goat and pig. avery was completely fearless when it came to the whole thing... no surprise there:) later that evening we had a fun game night with family and friends...my family LOVES games.
the next day we had a yummy thanksgiving feast at my mom's house. we stuffed ourselves to the rafters, and kept that afternoon lazy...just as thanksgiving should be:) later that evening we also went to my uncle rich's house and snagged some of his famous BBQ turkey... that turkey alone is worth the 12 hr. drive...mmm...
early friday morning my mom, sister, friend that's like a sister, and i decided to jump on the crazy train and go black friday shopping. although it wasn't the most relaxing experience, it really wasn't as bad as i imagined it would be. plus, i was able to get a bunch of shopping done in one shot, and at a steal. not to mention the company of those three girls can make the craziest shopping experience extremely fun anyway. that night we did one big erickson family (my mom's side) thanksgiving bash. it was so fun to reconnect with aunts, uncles, and cousins. we had such a fun time. thanks to everyone who planned that event!
on saturday we met our friends robert and lucie in galt (halfway between us) for some pizza. i served with both of them on my mission (and no, they were not apostate missionaries:) and both of them became very dear friends of mine. lucie is from france, and it is always fun to see her and listen to her beautiful accent. we also got to see their little boy jonas, and meet their baby girl, lou, for the first time. we then went to davis to visit chrissie and jason's new digs. jason is going to graduate school in davis, and we had such a nice visit with them--davis was lovely. that evening mom, lindsey, and i made a quick trip to h&m--always a must.
on sunday my entire immediate family got together for family pictures. i haven't seen much but what i have seen turned out really cute (i.e. the new blog-header pic). a family friend, jennifer, was kind enough to shoot us that afternoon at a nearby park. more pictures to follow, i am sure.
it was such a fun trip... though i never feel like it's long enough, and it wasn't fun that my brother and i and the girls came home sick:(. going home is always a good reminder for me of what i have to be grateful for though. closest to the surface after such a trip is my gratitude for good friends and loving family. one thing that is hard about going home is how much worse dad's condition is each time. this time he looked and sounded, well, crazy. he has many different uncontrollable behaviors that occur regularly, and when i look at him, my heart just breaks for him--and for my mom. yes, i am grateful for family, and grateful to know that we can be together eternally, as our BEST selves.

the obligatory halloween post...

2009-11-03T11:49:00.000-08:00

we had such a fun halloween weekend this year! to kick things off, on friday the girls and i went to a cute little pumpkin patch in pleasant grove with our good friends rebecca and carlee and their little gentlemen. what's more, emlyn and millie came down to join us. despite the freezing cold temperature (and yes, it did snow on us), we had a fun time looking at animals and catching up with friends.
avery giving me the i-can't-believe-you-are-pushing-me-around-in-a stroller-when-it's-this-cold-outside look.

tilly trying to keep warm...
i absolutely LOVE this little shot i snapped of these two pals, john-o and reid, near the rabbit cage

cute little millie donned her fairy princess costume on our little outing...
these goats seemed very desperate for food... they are probably eye-ing the babies in this shot as a potential meal.
that night we went to our ward's annual halloween party/ chili cook-off. we have such clever people in our ward-- the costumes were a hoot! and the chili buffet never disappoints! we went with a doctor seuss theme this year. jordan was mr. brown, i was a star-bellied sneetch, and the girls were, of course, thing 1 and thing 2...our little ladies ended up winning the "funniest costume" award at the party which could be considered a feat, if you had seen the other set of twins in our ward who made the most adorable mario and luigi. unfortunately, i cannot take credit for coming up with this costume idea however... it was inspired by these fun onesies the girls received from their aunt jana on their birthday...saturday we had a busy day, packed with fun. in the early evening we went to jeremy & emlyn's house in slc where the girls got to take place in a parade of costumes. it was so neat-- the police blocked off the neighborhood streets, and a city fire engine led the parade while the neighborhood kids and parents followed--in addition to this, all of the neighbors sit along the street to pass out candy making it a very fun and effective way to trick-or-treat. too bad the girls are still too young for candy:(

we got lots of cute shots of the girls that night-- the weather was GORGEOUS!

to top off the night, we went to grandma & grandpa stutz's to see all of the cousins in their costumes. whatta great weekend it was!

a real daddy's girl...

2009-10-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

this is the response i get every time i solicit a "mama" from tilly. avery does throw her old mom a bone by attempting it every now and then. ah well... in time...

updates, updates, updates...

2009-10-14T15:33:00.000-07:00

okay, so i am not the best or most consistent blogger in the world, but you'll just have to pardon me. the girls have hit such a fun stage that it is near impossible for me to take my eyes off of them lately, and can you really get mad at me for that? both girls are crawling around like crazy, following us around like puppies, and just cracking us up altogether.

some funnies:

avery absolutely loves to sit on things. she will spot something in the room, and then go give it her best shot at making it her new place of rest. for example, the other day our family-sized book of mormon was on the floor, and well, you guessed it, she crawled over and set herself atop of it. the look on her face after she accomplishes such a feat is quite hilarious. she looks at us like "hey guys, look at me way up here!" I have even caught her swinging a leg at times, as though her feet aren't touching the floor anymore.
more recently she has been our furniture climber. if we are sitting on the couch she will come over, climb to standing, and then whimper until we take her the rest of the way. what makes it funny is when she climbs to standing on a piece of furniture she can't see the top of, like our bed for example. she looks like she is holding on for dear life, and she will not let go until she sees what is on the top of that mountain. if i hear a whine coming from our room, chances are it's avery, and she's stuck:) she also loves to do this pretty funny little shoulder shrug--and lots -of them, right in a row. avery also makes us laugh during feeding time--when i put a spoon of something up to her mouth, she will give it a lick before opening up her trap to fully receive it. she's a girl who knows what she likes.

tilly is loving the crawling thing now that she has it down. for a while she was doing the army crawl, which we were fine with, but she would get so frustrated when avery would just leave her in the dust. tilly cracks us up with her "funny face" where she scrunches her nose and shows all her teeth (they both have two on bottom, and fangs on top--can't wait for those two front teeth to get here, maybe for christmas?).
tilly also throws quite the tantrums--i know, already?! she just turned one! anyway, it is pretty funny nonetheless. if avery takes something away from her, instead of taking it back, she will flap her arms and make a noise that sounds like a motorcycle revving its engine. she looks at us with the crabbiest, most pitiful face like "did you see what she just did? help me out here!" we usually do, which doesn't make a bit of difference to avery, but means all the world to tilly:). tilly also has the cutest smirk you ever did see. she will smile at us and try not to show her teeth at times, as if she is challenging us to do something really silly so we can see them. another funny thing tilly does is ram her head repeatedly into our legs if we are sitting on the couch and she wants our attention. funny girl.

we have also been giving the girls more table foods which they love! the other day we gave them a taste of a pickle, which was pretty funny.
tilly & avery making pickle faces in their cute china-wear from grandma stutz. also, here is the requested video of them dancing. avery was not so much in the groove, but tilly busted a few variations of their moves...

and, not that this is anywhere near as exciting as what the girls are doing, but we celebrated our 3rd anniversary on the 6th. jordan planned a much needed mini-vacation to slc and we had a wonderful time. however, since our actual anniversary was on a tuesday, i had these delivered to me by someone special, as a teaser:)
it was a good lead into our fun weekend...

you can never go wrong dining at the roof...who doesn't like a gourmet restaurant that's all you can eat? see that couple behind jordan, they got engaged while we were there, i witnessed the whole thing from my seat. it was pretty neat, except the guy didn't even get down on one knee. i thought that was a bit odd...oh well...
we also stayed at the anniversary inn on 5th south... it was so charming, and our room was really neat-- go here to check it out. they have a bunch of fun, themed rooms, but some were a little too adventurous for my taste--we just went for luxury, and the anniversary inn did not disappoint.
the next morning we had breakfast delivered to our door--we enjoyed this cinnamon roll the size of our faces, among other yummy breakfast foods. i would classify our weekend as delicious, fun, and a great way to have spent time with my best friend. these 3 years have been wonderful, but not quite long enough, so we're thinking we'll go for another bazillion....
p.s. a big THANK YOU to mom stutz for watching the rug rats--we love you!

"johnny jump-ups" at their best...

2009-09-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

charlie brown, jeans, and new tricks...

2009-09-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

avery woke up this morning with this cute little hair do......and it reminded me of someone...
from the scary hair in back, right down to the one strand acting as a bang in front...she had her impression perfected right down to the last detail.
also, what is it about babies in jeans that make them look so grown up?

put these same babies in a onesie and a pair of stretchy pants, and they go back to looking like infants...isn't it strange what denim can do?
as for new tricks, well, miss avery has learned to crawl, and while we are excited that she has hit this milestone, we are not excited about having to worry about choking hazards and trying to keep homework out of her reach. tilly is not crawling just yet, but claps and babbles as if all the world is listening. sorry baby, just your old mom. she is also very agile at stealing things from her more mobile sister, which can be pretty hilarious at times. and, my personal favorite... dancing. yes, they both dance. well, i guess its more like a rock when they are sitting or on their tummies...but it still cracks us up. if they hear any type of music, they go on auto-pilot and start rocking. isn't it neat that we are born with that inate desire to dance to music? love it.
in other news, i have gone back to school this semester. jordan works an early shift from 6:30-2:30 so that he can be home with the girls while i go to evening classes. even though i would much rather be spending my evenings with my little family, so far it seems pretty manageable, and i keep telling myself "just another year, and you're done. you can do it!" i do love my program though, and my classes have proven to be a good outlet for some "adult time." we'll keep you posted as more new tricks begin to emerge!

double the fun and double the one!

2009-08-31T08:50:00.000-07:00

we just can't believe our little girls turned one yesterday--and what a year it's been! although there were some downs in the begining, the ups have always overshadowed them and we have come away from this year feeling incredibly blessed. we have two adorable little girls who amaze us on a daily level with their progress, and we couldn't be happier. we celebrated a week early because my sister and her little boy were in town, so of course we wanted them at the party! it was an ice cream party, and i must say, the girls enjoyed their first go at real sugar:)

the set up--it was a warm, lovely evening in jordan's parents backyard...

tilly looking ready to party.
tilly practicing for "the real thing" with an ice cream cone bubble blower...

little avery
singing happy birthday...look at the confusion on avery's face...
i knew that if i put a cake in front of the girls, they wouldn't really know what to do with it. so, we decided to make them little ice cream cone cupcakes--these were perfect because the girls had a handle and, as you can see, they knew exactly what to do:)

jordan picking the grass out of tilly's frosting--perhaps we should have had them sitting on a table or something...
tilly
avery
after the clean up, we set the girls in these chairs and they were hilarious, swinging their little feet like they have been sitting in chairs their whole lives...(and aren't those sunsuits to die for? a good friend from california gave them to us at our shower and i have been waiting and waiting for them to fit!)
aunt lindsey, tucker, and girls... and this point the girls were done celebrating and ready for bed. i was right there with them:)

it turned out to be such a fun party, and we are so grateful to all who could make it, as well as all those who have sent birthday wishes our way! also, our good friend emily took the girls pictures recently, and as always, did a wonderful job-- go here to check out some of the pictures as well as the cute party invites she whipped up. this girl is amazing!

old news, new post...

2009-08-10T11:27:00.000-07:00

ugh. i just got finished telling my sister how much i loathe updating my blog with "old news." but i guess that's what i get for waiting so long. that, and the chore of having to upload a ba-jillion pictures all at once. but it's all done in an effort to keep my blog followers satisfied:) hope it works!

a couple of weeks ago we went to the hogle zoo in slc with aunt leah, aunt emlyn, and cousin millie. we had a great time checking out all of the animals and the cool exhibits, but i would have to say the highlight of the trip was the yummy lunch we enjoyed in the cool shade:)

the girls and i in front of the huge metal elephant that plays "pop goes the weasel" (sounds like a tuba) and blows air out of his trunk.

taking a drink out of the lion's mouth.

that same week my mom and sister chris came out for a short visit. it was so fun to have them here and to once again experience with them the magic that is j-dawgs. if you have never been, i feel sorry for you.

the next day mom and i took the girlies to veteran's pool in provo. they were pretty enthralled with watching everyone splash and play, as you can see. they LOVE the bath, and this was like the bath times 100, so you can imagine how much they liked playing in the pool--err, you'll have to because i didn't take any pictures once we actually got in the water:)

mom and i also attended our ward temple session saturday morning and hit the provo farmer's market on the way home. it was a fun time--but extremely hot! and of course, my mom always brings some sort of treat for the girls when she visits--this time: these adorable sunglasses from aunt linds. we had to put them in a place where they wouldn't see them to get the pic.

our girls are growing like crazy! in addition to sitting, they are rolling, eating pretty much everything we put into their little mouths, jumping like crazy in their jump ups, and our newest goal--teaching them to crawl. yikes. i know i will be sorry once they get the hang of it:)

tilly

avery in a daze...

the proof that the rolling is out of control... we will put avery to bed in a tight swaddle and then often walk in on this scene...she's so tricky!

the girls enjoying biter biscuits...i.e. sharpening their mini-razors (they each have two on bottom now:)

yes indeed, our girls are getting big and we love them more and more each day.

oh, and jordan and i are doing well too:)

ew.

2009-07-24T19:47:00.001-07:00

last july i looked like this... i know, doesn't help that i am standing next to such a cutie (my trainer from my mission). while the girls' early arrival was totally unexpected and scary, i must say, i do not miss those sweltering summer days with not one, but two internal heaters... our hot day today reminded me of that...

p.s. my sweet husband swears he doesn't remember me this chubby--what blinding love!

independence weekend...

2009-07-08T18:05:00.000-07:00

... beware the picture overload... but know that it could have been worse:)
we had such a fun time celebrating the 4th. provo has its freedom festival every year, which is one of the best in the nation, so there was plenty to do and see. on thursday the girls and i headed to a local park that they "turned into" ellis island. it was such a neat little experience. grandma perk (jordan's mom) took all of the grand kids on the this little tour that explained the promises the immigrants were to make in order to become a u.s. citizen. at the end of the little tour, we all took citizenship tests. i passed mine with flying colors--thank you fourth grade u.s. history! then we took the oath. it was all very well done.

grandma giving the tour around the flags...

our lady liberties with aunt jana...and as an aside can i just say i love the girls in these little stretchy shorts-- they make their legs look like little sausage links...mmm..

on friday a part of historic provo set up what they called "colonial days." they had people dressed up, displaying their wood work, paintings etc. the girls also scored some adorable little clothespin dolls which they, of course, thought were delicious.avery gagging herself with her dolltilly giving hers the once over before she sinks her gums into it

mr. and mrs. lincolnsome amazing sidewalk chalk drawings...yes, sidewalk chalk.that night we had a family potluck dinner at grandma and grandpa stutz's farm, set off some fireworks (compliments of the very fun aunt jana), and had a campfire with s'mores. it was a great way to spend the evening.the girls didn't let the fun of the evening throw off their sleeping schedule, they know what's good for them:)
on the 4th we ate breakfast down at the farm, attended our niece christina's baptism, and just hung out the rest of the afternoon. it was such a beautiful day for taking pictures, so we did:)
did i mention that grandma and grandpa's farm is just divine? this is their lovely grapevine tunnel...

avery perched...
and tilly too!

these close up shots of the girls' holiday garb are for my sister lindsey...

i love tilly's nonchalant look here...
and, these really have nothing to do with the weekend, but we just love these close ups of the girlies...

tilly looking into the sun
avers.

tilly
avery the goober. she was being so funny that day... whenever she would turn and see me she just got this cheesy grin on her face. we just love these girls, and look forward to celebrating many more 4ths to come!

twenty-six...

2009-06-29T07:54:00.000-07:00

"yeah, i'm twenty-six-- so what?"

so, my birthday was last sunday, but we partied all weekend really. it was terrific! to kick things off, my adorable visiting teacher, who has plans to become a pastry chef (lucky me, right?!) made me this darling little cake.not only was it cute, but completely delicious. we had been snacking on it the week leading up to the event itself.
on thursday there was a knock at the door... and wouldn't you know it, those sweet little girls of mine each sent me a bouquet of these lovely peruvian lillies. they know just what i like:)on saturday we made plans to go to the new oquirrh mountain temple open house. it was a beautiful experience, made even better by gorgeous weather and heavenly girls. we are so blessed to have so many temples nearby!that afternoon we went to red robin and shared my free birthday burger. it was yummy, and just the right amount of food. when we returned home, jordan put himself in sole charge of the girls so that i could take a nap-- it was much needed, and appreciated! jordan also surprised me with this:to be honest, i wasn't sure that i should keep it-- because i already have a perfectly good digital camera. but friends and family quickly convinced me that it will be a great tool in documenting our family history-- so i think i'll keep it:) that evening, jordan's brother and his wife watched the girls so that we could go to dinner and a movie. we went to this great brazilian bbq house (and re-learned the meaning of the term gluttony), and then went to a 7pm showing of "up." it was such a fun day. thank you nate and jai for watching the rug rats!
on sunday, jordan's family had us over to celebrate. yummy food and tons of family-- it doesn't get much better than that.
avery agrees... just look at her eyeing uncle ben's cake...
cute nieces and nephews playing in grandma and grandpa's sand box

avery tugging on uncle nate's beard-- she and tilly have this guy wrapped around their little fingers

i absolutely love these pictures of cousin kisses...

pure delight.
mommy and avery in the shade...

little tilly with dad.

yes indeed, it has been a great start to my 26th year. thanks again to all those who sent birthday wishes my way and made it memorable!

we just love this guy...

2009-06-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

google kind, loving, faithful, hard-working, good-humored, generous, very handsome, very smart, and a little bit nerdy, and this guy just may pop up. it takes a special guy to put up with three girls who can all be a little demanding at times:) we love you jordan, and we are so happy to have you as the father of our family! happy father's day!

love,
your girls

baby giggles...

2009-06-18T13:51:00.000-07:00

is there anything sweeter?

tilly's love affair with ketchup...

2009-06-18T13:47:00.000-07:00

memorial day...

2009-06-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

so i realize that memorial day was some time ago... but we have such cute shots of the girls from that day we thought we'd better share. it was a fun, low key day spent with family. we met up with two of jordan's brothers and their families at ikea for free breakfast, and then headed over to the children's discovery gateway museum-- a lot like the exploratorium but smaller. after that we headed to jeremy and emlyn's for a bbq. it was so much fun!
family shot on the second floor
jordan wishing this climbing wall was a little bit bigger and more challenging
they had this really cute indoor farm that you could 'play on'. here's jordan and the girls mounted atop a horse
avery and matilda hanging out in the chicken coop

jordan and avery as news anchors
they had a little station where you could decorate your own hats-- i believe uncle nate made theirs to say baby 1 and baby 2
tilly swinging at the bbq
and avery gets a turn too!

post number 6...

2009-06-03T12:35:00.000-07:00

another highlight of our trip to california was the fun 'meet & greet' brunch lindsey and chrissie threw for the girls. since we never were able to have the shower that was planned prior to the girls' arrival, we thought it would be fun for everyone to come and meet the chubby little ones for themselves, now that they are pictures of health. added bonus that i was able to see all of my dear friends and family from the area, and all in one spot. thanks girls--the party was a smash!

chrissie and lindsey-- the little darlings responsible...

tilly, just chilling.
avery and aunt linds. note: tilly is wearing the outfit i had originally put on the girls. however avery, in true form, decided to have a poopy blow-out the instant the party started, so we had to open a gift and put her in it. talk about embarassing... sorry again cute shauna boyce for catching some of the after math on your blouse:)
opening gifts and cards-- we are so blessed to know the wonderful and caring people we do!
the adorable cupcake favors.
chrissie's talents in jazzing up an already beautiful backyard displayed...
my dear friend dianna boyce... we met while serving in a relief society presidency together-- a true kindred friend.
two of my favorite people... sure we got into a lot of shenanigans as high schoolers, but pretty much all of my best stories from those days involve these two girlies...
lisa and laura--as mentioned above, lisa and i were extrememly tight in highschool, making laura somewhat of a second mom. she is the coolest...

yes, we had a wonderful time. thanks again to all those who made it! it was so great to see all of you!

post number 5...

2009-05-27T20:55:00.000-07:00

are you sick of these posts yet? alright, so continuing on with the s.f. trip... on friday we went to the exploratorium. this was the highlight of our trip because a) this is right up jordan's alley--i.e. sciency, and he's a big kid at heart and b) i was excited to see his reaction to everything. i had been when i was a kid and loved tinkering with all of the fun experiments, but jordan actually understood and appreciated how each one worked. he was like a kid in a candy store-- pure delight!
the amazing architecture outside the exploratorium.jordan being a table hog... i mean showing our nephew mason how it works:)this thing was really cool... you push a button and it creates a circular dolphin bubble. note the excitment on his face:)the girls, not having as much fun as dad"you're turning violet, violet!"
after the exploratorium we took a stroll on the beach as a family. it was this cool, private little inlet... we were pretty much the only ones there.my family in the distance.
a view of alcatraz from the shore.driving home on golden gate...
we topped the day off with ghiridelli hot fudge sundaes--another s.f. must! we had such a fun trip... we can't wait to go again!

post number 4...

2009-05-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

our trip to california included a fun over-nighter in san francisco. we love that place. there is so much to see and do. because it is a big city, in some ways it reminds me of my mission days in new york--still, they are very different. i just like the hustle and bustle of big cities i guess.... and let's not forget the FOOD! we arrived on a thursday at about 11am, and decided to stop into boudin bakery for a clam chowder bread bowl and sour dough grilled cheese. this place is amazing--so yummy!

at boudin they have a large street-facing window where you can see the bakers at work. they make all kinds of little animals out of bread. and here is jordan posed with a big animal. mmmm...what a delicious looking alligator....after lunch we went for a stroll along the pier. here are the world-famous sea lion floating docks. for whatever reason these swarms of sea lions gather here to lay in the sun. it is fun to catch an occasional "king of the dock" fight between them. you can only stand this place for so long, however. the stench of such a gathering is, well, unfortunate. i think avery's face in this picture says it all.jordan and tilly, enjoying the sea lions.

since jordan had never experienced alcatraz, we thought this would be a worthwhile addition to the trip. if you have never been, we highly reccomend you go. sooo interesting..... at any rate, here is the ferry we took out to the bay.

jordan and tilly on the boat... and a teeny tiny golden gate bridge in the background.aproaching "the rock."
just one of the cell blocks inside...
jordan in solitary confinement. the tour is a personal audio tour which is neat because you can go at your own pace. plus, it's narrated by former guards and inmates... and, it includes really cool background noises that make you feel like you are walking the halls of an occupied prison. and last but not least, here is the view of s.f. from alcatraz.

later that night we met up with family in concord to watch my nephew's high school volleyball game, and then went out to eat at red robin. it was such a fun day!

post number 3...

2009-05-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

...and we're back! okay, so since jordan was graduating we thought it was high time we took a trip out to california to visit family, and just have fun. usually when we do go out it is a quick weekend trip, jam-packed with events. not this time. we had so much fun just relaxing and taking it easy. we ate at all the yummy "california only" eats, went shopping at h&m (a couple of times, which i should be ashamed to admit but am not), went to the park, and visited with friends and family. what made the trip even more enjoyable was that instead of trying to cram our family of four into mom's already full 3 bedroom house, we were able to stay down the street at a friend's. they happened to be out of town the same days we were there, so we kept the place occupied.

jordan and the girls at the salt flats... we were a little worried about how the girls would do on the long trip, now that they are a little older and more awake... but they were champs!
my brother jesse and wife leah waited for our trip out to bless their little wyatt. i say "little" but he is that chunk in between the girls. yeah, only 3 months old and already a little taller than they are. mmmm....wyatt sandwich....
jordan taking tilly for her first ride on the curly slide...if you look carefully, you can see our whole family in this picture:)
niece afton-- i told her to say cheese and this is what i got...hands posed next to face. she is a riot...meaning the funny kind and sometimes the dangerous kind:) really sweet and tender with the girls however.

babies waiting for mom and dad to get ready for the day.
the last sunday we were there, we celebrated my cousin kurt returning from his mission to argentina. it was so fun to catch up with all of our extended family too. my aunt julie had these mini chairs in the family room.

come back for more posts about our overnighter to sf, and the fun brunch my sister and friend threw for us!

post number 2...

2009-05-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

....and we're back! perhaps our most exciting news as of late is that jordan graduated--yipee!

it's one of those things that you think will never come when you are in the thick of it--but it did, and we are so proud of him! he now has his b.s. in physics... which means he is now a legally registered physicist:) on april 22nd we attended commencement, which was great. president uchtdorf and elder nelson were the keynote speakers, and they gave some great advice to the graduates. the girls did great the two hours we were there...
... as long as they had some hands to chew on:)
these are the graduates coming into the marriot center. believe it or not, we know where tiny little jordan is in this picture... but i won't make you look for him:)
the girls were tuckered out by the whole event and so was jordan, probably.
the only time i got a tinsy bit emotional during commencement was when president samuelson asked the graduates to give the people who have supported them and helped them accomplish graduation a round of applause. while i did very little in actually helping jordan with his schooling, it was nice to be given a pat on the back for surviving the long days while he was away:) love my graduate!
jordan with his younger sister leah and mom priscilla
the moms
it was fun to have my mom here for the ocassion. she is always such a big help... not to mention lots of fun:) the next day we had jordan's convocation--this is where he and the other graduates in the school of physics and astronomy actually walked and recieved their diplopmas.

it's like you were there!
jordan and friend brian at convocation

following the convocation we went to the eyring science center where they had a lovely lunch prepared for the graduates and their guests. the eyring will always have a special place in jordan's heart, since it was pretty much his second home for two years...

jordan and friend jordan--ha!

the stickers on the girls' backs read 'guest of jordan stutz'yes, it was a wonderful graduation and it made me excited for when i can actually participate in my own:) now it's time to find a job--the hard part. please send any good leads our way!

post number 1...

2009-05-14T13:31:00.000-07:00

i have the best friends and family ever! thanks to you, and whomever else you harassed into voting for me, i won the contest! the package i won was called the newborn package. it included these super cute flower hair pins from my simplicity boutique...

they are actually for the girls, but unfortunately they lack somewhat in the 'hair department' so you are stuck with me for a model. i also won a $20 gift certificate to smoky pendants --which is an esty shop with really neat jewelry. and last but not least, i won my choice of scrapbook page from close to my heart --which i guess means i will have to practice becoming a little more crafty. what's more fun than winning free stuff? thanks again for all your votes! come back tomorrow for more updates:)

too many fun things past+tons of pictures= a super-post. super-post -time enough to do said super-post= lots of little posts over a period of time.

2009-05-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

okay, so i know it's been waaaaaay too long since our last post--but this has been for good reason. we have been super busy these last couple of weeks, mostly with celebrating and having fun:). anyway, we have lots of pictures and stories to prove it, but nowhere near enough time to post it all at once. so we have decided to spread it out over a couple of days. this means more waiting for you... but stick with us, and hopefully throwing in a bunch of pics of the girls will make it all worth it--besides, suspense teaches us patience:) check back tomorrow for post #1...

calling all friends and family...

2009-04-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

hey guys--okay, so.... i just found out this weekend that my darling sister-in-law emlyn nominated me to receive a mother's day give away package from this website. i had no idea that she had even entered me, so you can imagine my surprise when she received an email saying i was a finalist! anyway... on tuesday the 28th (tomorrow) my 'story' will be up on that same site--all of the finalist's will. the winner is decided by number of votes. this is where you come in:) i just need you to go on the site and make a comment under the post about me--that will count as a vote. i am not completely sure what i will be winning, but sure wouldn't mind finding out:) thanks guys!

does a love of cereal run in the family?

2009-04-19T20:09:00.000-07:00

the other day we introduced the girls to rice cereal. it was pretty hilarious to say the least... avery tried to lap it up like a dog, which made it difficult to actually get the spoon in her mouth since her little tongue kept unintentionally pushing it away. matilda was a little less interested in the venture. we would put the spoon up to her mouth and she would make absolutely no attempt to open up and let it in. once we finally snuck it in there, and she understood that the cereal was for eating, she was a little more keen on the idea. the girls are now 7 1/2 months old, 4 1/2 months corrected... so we are in no hurry to have them eating solids quite yet... but thought we'd give it a little go so they can get in some good practice before we get serious about it.

matilda making sense of it all..."hmmm open and then EAT...i could get used to this"

avery in a rare moment of actually letting the spoon in

tilly

avery trying to snatch the spoon and feed herself

this picture cracks us up... her little lips look cartoonish

tilly and jana

this picture has nothing to do with eating cereal, but it's still a good one. our favorite aunt jana came out for an easter visit-- we miss you already jana!

p.s. sorry about all the red eye... i need lessons in photo shop...or a better camera. the girls do have the "deer -in-the-headlights look down however:).

bathing beauties...

2009-04-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

for nana...

2009-03-29T18:44:00.000-07:00

avery and matilda are cooing more than ever these days... only avery let us capture a little on film. this one's for nana, but you are all welcome to watch:)

*never mind my nasty baby voice... i can usually get more out of them when i talk back high pitched:)

almost 7 months...

2009-03-24T12:35:00.000-07:00

i know all kids seem to grow up fast, but i think it goes even quicker when they're your kids. true, the girls are still under 11 lbs., but they seem so big to me these days. i think it has a lot to do with their ever-increasing awareness too. they are very good at knowing when we are in the room, and will let us know (very loudly, i might add) that they do not approve of us leaving once we set foot outside of it. they are smiling like crazy, and have even started cooing a bit. they have excellent head control when they are laying down, or held sitting up, and they are taking longer naps during the day...(yes!). as much as they are work, they are twice as much fun and we absolutely adore them!
avery...her double chin is coming along quite nicely don't ya think?
tilly girl
the girls gave the bumbos a whirl on st. patrick's day...

tilly approved
avery was worn out by the whole thing
the ends.

our friend the flower...

2009-03-11T07:42:00.000-07:00

jordan took this video of the girls right before church on sunday...they just love to watch this little guy!

thanks jayme and family for providing avery and matilda with hours of entertainment:)

ugh.

2009-03-06T07:42:00.000-08:00

well, we thought it was croup anyway...so, here's the long story....

about 3 weeks ago avery developed a wheeze that sounded kind of scary, so of course i thought it might be rsv and took into the doc quick. but he said everything checked out so we took her back home. another week goes by and she still has the wheeze, so i take her in again. we saw another doc who said it definitely wasn't in her lungs, but in her upper airway...so he prescribed some acid reflux medicine in case it was reflux that was just irritating the upper airway. ANOTHER week goes by with no improvement, and this time we had plans to go to canada for jordan's gradmother's funeral. anyway, we thought we should have the doc take one more look before we take her out of the country... so jordan took her in (because i knew i would be too emotionally charged)... and it's a good thing he did because the doctor said her airway was so narrow at that point that had we taken her to canada she would have died! are you serious?! we couldn't have figured out that it was this serious sooner?
so we admitted her into american fork hospital so that she could be monitored and begin receiving treatments for croup. jordan would stay over night with her so i could be home with tilly, and then we would switch in the morning. it was NOT fun, but we at least felt better about being in the hospital in case anything too serious happened.
anyway, our 4th day there, jordan called and told me they would be flying her to primary children's hospital in slc, because they just couldn't figure out why she was not responding to treatments. so they intubated my poor little baby, and flew her off.

we met her up there, while aunt jana watched tilly--thank you jana! so there they told us since she wasn't and "emergency case" they would keep her intubated for a couple of days until a doctor could see her. i had two feelings about this...1.)phew, she's not considered an emergency, that's good... and 2.) could we please see someone right away so that the poor thing doesn't have to be on a ventilator longer than necessary! kind of frustrating. fortunately, my mom flew out to stay with me and tilly in slc because jordan had to be back in provo going to school--since he missed a bunch of school the week before.
so, they finally went in with a scope to see what the problem was....drum roll please....
the poor thing had an enormous cyst near her vocal chords that was basically blocking off her airway...she had this tiny little whole to breathe through! while they were in there with the scope, they removed it, and she already sounds a MILLION times better!
so now we are home, reunited as a family, finally! avery is in on the mend. she is still taking the acid reflux medicine to prevent irritation and scarring, as well as amoxicilyn to prevent infection. her throat still sounds a little scratchy, but she is getting there.
anyway, i just wanted to take this opportunity to testify of the reality of our Heavenly Father. this has been a very trying week for our family, and i can't imagine having to go through something so traumatic without at testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. although i was a complete basket-case through it all...i really have been sustained. i am so thankful for family and friends who care enough to fast and pray for our family. we are coming away from this experience feeling incredibly blessed...and we thank you all for your concern!

ladies and gentlemen...we have a diagnosis.....

2009-02-27T20:48:00.000-08:00

so, i am not going to take the time to post the ENTIRE story now because, well, i'm exhausted. but i did want to post a small petition for your prayers. our poor little avery has the croup:( she was admitted into american fork hospital on wednesday night, and we expect to be there at least a couple of more days. she does better for the first little while after each treatment, but then her breathing becomes somewhat labored again so we are just waiting this thing out. anyway, as far as we know it's nothing too serious, but serious enough for hospitalization, which is why we are once again asking our dear friends and family to keep us in your very faithful prayers. it has been hard to watch avery have any sort of discomfort, but i think the hardest part of it all so far is that our family has been two halves the last couple of days. matilda, who is healthy, can't be around sister so one of us has been at the hospital with avers, and the other at home with tilly. i'm sure the sisters miss each other just as much as jordan and i miss each other--for right now we are a tag team:) anyway, like i said, i will probably post the whole story later...but we just wanted to keep you in the know..here is avery looking scrumptious in her blessing outfit...

weezer...

2009-02-15T18:33:00.000-08:00

I love this little guy. Definitely one of my favorite characters from "the gang." I do NOT like, however, that my little Avery has turned into a little weezer herself this last week. Because she is a preemie, of course my initial reaction to her new sound was an RSV panic. But we have been to the doctor twice (for other reasons) since she has had it, and he has said that everything checks out...just make sure it doesn't go into the lungs, affect breathing, yadda yadda yadda. Well, thank goodness it hasn't gotten any worse, but I am sick of waiting for it to get any better, and I am sure Avery is too! It's been over a WEEK! And the poor thing sounds so stuffed up. We have tried everything we can think of...humidifier, chest rub, saline drops, raised crib mattress... but nothing has proven effective! Any experienced moms out there know what else I could try?

Happy Valentimes Day

2009-02-14T09:18:00.000-08:00

the last couple of months in pictures...

2009-02-11T10:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I have been a complete blog-slacker the last little while...but unfortunately I just can't find the time anymore. Usually when the girls are sleeping, I try to nap or clean house etc., and when Jordan is home, I usually just hand a baby off on him so I that can cook dinner one-handed. No time I tell ya! However, today I am making an exception, and throwing up some pictures on this thing during nap time, just so you know that we are all alive and well:)This is the very minimal decorating the girls and I did for Jordan's birthday. Unfortunately he had school and work that day, so he was just as busy as ever with no real time for relaxation. That weekend we drove up to the aquarium in Sandy to celebrate only to find a sign on the door saying they closed early! Boo. We are planning on trying again this weekend.
Avery and Matilda's first-ever outing was to Grandma and Grandpa Stutz' house--affectionately known as "the Grandudes." They are so sweet, and genuinely amazing people. One of those couples that has an arsenal of life experiences that leave you wondering how they fit them all into their years! Here is Grandpa and Avery...
And Grandma and Tilly.
These are our friend the Micheners. They used to live next door to us, and were the neighbors we could depend on for anything--cup of sugar, etc. Not too long ago they graduated and moved to Virginia beach for work. They came back for a visit and to bless their adorable baby boy Ethan. It was so fun to see them again--we missed you guys!
Matilda and Avery sporting their darling little sweater ensembles compliments of our dear friend Kari:)

Tilly enjoying some "Daddy time."
Tilly and Avery during a happy moment.
Okay, these little winter suits crack us up. My mom got them for the girls for this winter, and every time we put them on , they transform into little stuffed animals, or dolls or something. Hilarious.
...and finally, some blessing pictures. All of the other pictures are on the other computer, so these will have to do. Anyway, I love the above picture mostly because of the range of emotion in the two faces. They are so funny!
And of course, the obligatory family pic. Anyway, we hope you enjoyed the slide show. We are still getting used to having our little ones home. It is stressful at times, but more often than not, just enjoyable. Jordan is also in the midst of his last semester (woohoo!!), so we are spending a lot of our time job hunting as well. Wish us luck!

HEY YOU!

2009-01-20T11:09:00.000-08:00

... yeah you! Happy 26th birthday!
We love you to bits.
Love,
Your girls

Meet Our NICU Family...

2009-01-19T13:43:00.000-08:00

This is Lindsay... she watched our girls on a number of occasions. She was a mother of two, expecting her third when this picture was taken. She said that she enjoyed looking after the girls because she and I had the exact same due date, so as the girls would grow, she could compare them to her unborn baby. We love you Lindsay, and hope you are enjoying your new baby!
This is Launa. She is the mother of one grown son. I was able to meet him at the hospital one day, and he was very kind. She watched the girls often, and I appreciated her attentiveness to our needs. She was the one who showed us around the 5th floor...ie. the parent room, pump room, milk freezer etc. We miss you Launa!
This is Erica. We love Erica for her sweet disposition. Jordan and I often wondered "Is it possible that someone could be so kind ALL of the time?" Erica was fun to chat with because she and her husband are young married students just like us, so we had a lot in common. Before we left the NICU we learned that they are expecting their first baby! We hope all is going well with the pregnancy Erica!
This is Jamee. Jamee, Jamee, Jamee...We had such fun with her! Jamee was one who helped us gain confidence as new parents. Often she would encourage us to roll up our sleeves and do the cares... and if we seemed a little hesitant or nervous about our inexperience, she would assure us that we would be fine. She was also one of those rare people that understood, and even appreciated Jordan's unique sense of humor:) She also told us that she was expecting her first baby before we left the NICU! So exciting--good luck Jamee!
These are just a few of the wonderful nurses who made our little corner of the NICU feel like home those first couple of months. We also want to thank Carly, Becky, Chris, and all of the other nurses who took such good care of us! Mom Stutz once made the very insightful observation that while we spent much of our time praying for the well being of our girls those months, it was through our sweet nurses that Heavenly Father answered those prayers. How do you properly thank someone for taking such good care of your children in an unideal situation? We aren't quite sure, but we want you to know how grateful we are. We miss you guys:)

p.s. sorry if i misspelled any of your names, but we love you just the same.

Blessing the Bebes...

2008-12-21T10:37:00.000-08:00

Cute picture courtesy of Emily, cute hats courtesy of Aunt Lauren--thanks girls:)

Okay, so I AM sending announcements... don't fret. I am just completely behind, so don't be surprised if they show up a extremely late...tah heh heh... This has been quite the holiday season due to a last minute trip to California for my grandfather's funeral. The girls did great with all of the traveling, but all of our schedules are now completely thrown off. Hopefully things will return to normal soon, but again, I am sorry for the tardiness of the announcements. (You'll see why all of the apologizing when they arrive:)

However, I do want to announce that we will be blessing the girls on January 4th at our ward building. Anyone who would like to attend is, of course, welcome.

The address of the church is:
1005 S 500 W Provo, UT 84601
Sacrament meeting will begin at 12:10--I know, random time.
Can't wait to see you there!

p.s. If you would like to look at more pictures from the girls' photo shoot, please visit friend Emily's amazing photography blog, relivingthemoments.blogspot.com

addresses please...

2008-12-09T07:42:00.000-08:00

well, it's that wonderful time of year, where i am reminded of how completely unorganized i am:) i am talking addresses people! i don't know why it is so hard for me to just write these down in one common place so that i will have them on hand should i need to send something to someone at some time...? maybe an address book will be on my wish list for christmas this year :) at any rate, i am hoping to get christmas cards/ baby announcements to anyone who would like one. if this means you then please email me with your current address... and hopefully i can keep track of it this time:)
macistutz@gmail.com

Tummy Time...

2008-12-04T08:47:00.001-08:00