Update on Porter

The doctor finally called a couple of days ago to tell us that Porter's x-ray was normal so they will proceed with Occupational Therapy to treat the Torticollis. His first appointment will be next Thursday so I'm anxious to see what they do. Yesterday Jordyn and I had fun videotaping the babies and taking some cute pics of them. They have on the darling outfits that Aunt Sheri sent them a couple of months ago. They finally fit in to them so we're hoping to have a few more weeks of warm weather to wear them. Thanks Aunt Sher! I also took pics of the darling blankets that Aunt Christie made them, Porter's is the cutest blue material with I am a Child of God written all over it in different languages and Kamryn's is pink with little angels all over! I can't locate the picture in my millions of photos for the life of me so you'll have to use your imagination. They are my favorite!!

Jordyn and I were laughing our heads off at these pics of Kamryn! She looks like such a little chubby faced cutie!

A VERY late night!

DJ and I pulled a very late night canning corn last night! We figured we're already sleep deprived staying up with babies so when some free corn came our way we didn't hesitate to turn it down. Our good friends, the Andrus's, of Andrus Trucking came over with corn last night that had apparently been rejected by Walmart due to a palet tipping over while unloading. It was beautiful corn, can't believe they turned it down because of that but we were happy to be the recipients. DJ got home from Bishopric meetings and visits at about 9:30 and after settling babies down, we got started at around 10:30.....78 ears of corn and 16 quarts of corn later, we finally crawled in to bed at 2 a.m! Yikes!! I wish we would've taken pictures of one another, we were literally zombies, but it is definetly worth it with the price of groceries these days. Our own corn should be on in another week so we'll be at it again soon.

Hooray for Kaleb!

We're happy to report that the "low-paying, stinky job" is no longer accepting applicants. Kaleb is officially potty trained! He did amazing with the potty thing but struggled a bit with the other until I got a helpful tip from my sister, Julie. I bought a cheap little toy and put it high up in the bathroom (light fixture worked great) and told him he could have it when he went poopy and two days later, he did it and was so excited! Grandpa Rose was here on Friday evening picking up Jordyn for a weekend away and Kaleb wanted to go so bad so Grandpa told him he would be a big boy and get potty trained, he could go and stay with him! A little bribery never hurt anyone, right??? Anyway, he hasn't had any accidents for two days and even wears underwear to bed!!! I never thought I'd be so excited about only having 2 in diapers!! Thanks for all the great ideas! Way to go Kaleb!!

While on the subject of Kaleb I have to share some funny "Kaleb moments." Yesterday he came up with Regan's portable CD player and headphones on singing "Bop to the Top" from High School Musical. I looked to see if it was actually playing and it wasn't but he was having the best time. This is what happens when you have 3 older sisters.

Kaleb will be playing outside with the girls and he'll come in with this funny somber look on his face and say, "mom, the girls are being rude," and then he'll get a huge grin on his face and start giggling. I don't think he knows what rude means but has just spent a lot of time listening to the girls taddle on one another.

Anyone looking for a low paying stinky job??

Potty training.....need I say more? This is one of the only things I would actually consider paying someone to do but since I'm low on cash, I'm afraid I won't get any takers to do Kaleb! Somehow I've managed to potty train 3 girls but I still feel like a total amateur in this area. Anyway, I woke up on Tuesday morning and decided that I was through changing 3 bums and informed Kaleb that we were chucking his diapers and he was wearing big boy underwear.
Day 1 (3 hours in to it)-ready to give his diapers right back but decided I better not go back on my word, (6 hours in to it and 4 potty accidents, 2 poopy accidents)- not really caring about going back on my word, biting my tongue, pulling my hair out and wondering why I thought I could potty train a kid with 2 nursing needy babies....but talked myself in to moving forward. Long story short, here we are 3 days later, Kaleb just about has the potty thing down, has very few accidents that way, wears underwear to bed and wakes up dry, still not doing so well with the poopy thing but making some progress. Can't go back now and really don't want to....just praying for patience and hoping this will be over soon. By the way, the offer is still open for a low paying, stinky job. ANY TAKERS??

2 Month Well-baby Check

Happy to report that Kamryn and Porter are growing and doing well:

Porter- weighing in at 11 lbs. 10 oz.

Kamryn-weighing in at 9 lbs. 10 oz.

I think it's safe to say that they are getting enough to eat!

We've been noticing that Porter tips his head to one side much of the time and have been a bit concerned about it. Dr. Smith said he's quite certain that it is something called, "Torticollis," it is muscle relaited and has something to do with the way he was positioned in the womb. I took him for a x-ray yesterday to rule out some other things and haven't received word back yet but most likely it is what Dr. Smith says it is. That being the case, he will start some sort of physical therapy for a while until I get the hang of doing it myself and we'll just work with him at home. Porter will also have his hearing checked again in 2 weeks so we'll know what we need to do there if anything. Other than that, they are both doing well and getting so responsive. Porter is still sleepy much of the time but has the cutest smile and sweetest disposition. Kamryn is a live wire and is getting so much happier. She has such a cute personality and loves to be talked to. She has the cutest grin as you will see from the pictures. They really are so different but both so much fun. I was holding Kamryn this evening while listening to Morg read a book and just had the thought come to me that I need to cherish every moment with my kids because time goes by so fast. Though this is a crazy busy time of my life, I am thankful that Heavenly Father blessed us with these 2 babies as well as our other 4 children. I love them all more than I can express!!

Happy 10th Birthday, Regan!

Doesn't she look adorable in this dress?


Happy 10th Birthday Regan! It was Regan's birthday on Wednesday so DJ took the day off so we could have a little morning birthday party and then go swimming at Grandma Johnson's pool. We also had back to school night that evening so we were busy but had a fun day. Regan spent the morning decorating her cake and as you can see from the pictures, she inherited a love for candy from her mother! She got so many cute things: sunglasses from Morg and Jord, clothes & a subscription to the New Era from DJ and I, a dress, shoes, necklace, tights from Grandma & Grandpa Rose, clothes, watch & shoes from Grandma and Grandpa T. and some cute gifts from friends. We had such a fun time swimming and spent 2 1/2 hours at the pool. I was surprised at how brave they all were in the water. Even Kaleb loved the water and we had to drag him out when it was time to go! We ended the day by going to Back to School Night at Fairview where we there was a barbecue for the whole family and the kids got to take all their school supplies to their class and meet the teacher. I thought it was a cute idea and really got the kids excited for the next day.

2008 Garden

I have to admit that this is the best garden we've ever had thanks to DJ! I guess that shows what a great gardener I'm not because in years past, I've primarily taken care of it. DJ has worked so hard keeping the weeds down this year and is now spending many hours a week weeding, harvesting and freezing/canning veggies. I don't know how he is doing it all but I appreciate him so much and it's fun to see the fruits of his labors. (or "veggies" of his labors) ha ha! So far we've harvested beans, peas, red potatoes, onions, zucchini & squash and we're looking forward to corn and carrots in a week or so!

Back to School!

The girls started school yesterday and both had a great days! Morgan is in 1st grade and has Mrs. Walker and Regan is in 5th grade and has Mrs. O'Donnell. How did I get so old? As I was taking pictures of the girls as they were heading out to the bus yesterday I took a look at Regan and couldn't believe how grown up she looked! She's really changed this summer and is becoming a young woman instead of my little girl. Okay, I know that sounds really cheesy but it's the truth!! Anyway, it was a fun morning because the girls were giggling and chatting down in their bedroom as they were picking out their "first day of school outfit" (I remember those days!) They both looked adorable and as sad as I was to see my 2 helpers walk out the door, I couldn't help but be excited for them! Hopefully it will be a great year for both. I have to say that it was a very long day for me with no extra arms around to hold babies besides little Jordy. She's a big help it some areas but unfortunatly can't carry around fussy babies. She did climb up on the bed with Porter this morning and talked to him for a good 20 minutes while I was getting ready and he was more than entertained with all of her singing and talking. This afternoon I gave her the job of taking all the grapes off 2 huge packages of grapes so I set her up on the bar where Kamryn was hanging out in her bouncy chair. Kamryn started to fuss so Jordyn was trying to calm her and after a couple of minutes of Kamryn not calming she said, "Shush Kamryn, I need to concentrate (as if taking grapes off the vine takes a great deal of concentration) hmm....... I wonder where she's heard that before???

Lesson Learned!

Okay, so I learned my lesson never to leave the T.V. on during the day when no one is watching it. I rarely have the T.V. on anyway during the day because nothing but trash is on but since the Olympics are on, DJ and I watched a bit of the swimming this morning while getting ready for the day. Well, we both failed to turn it off before leaving to go about our activities around the house. At around 12:30 I asked Morgan where Jordyn was and she said she was watching a show so I went in to check on her and sure enough, she was enthrolled in the water polo or whatever that is called so I let her continue to watch and then around 1:15 I called everyone in to lunch and, no Jordyn, so I called again and after a couple of minutes she finally came in. I was thinking, "WOW," she's really enjoying the swimming, maybe I've got a future Olympian on my hands" (ha ha) so I asked her if she was enjoying the Olympics and she said, "well, it turned off and then there was this really good show on where these people are trapped in a room and they have to cover there mouths with cloths and there is this "pirate daddy," etc... I'm thinking, what show is she talking about so I went in the room to look and was alarmed to discover that she was watching a Soap Opera!!!!!!!!!!! YIKES!!!! So, I don't have a future Olympian on my hands, I just have a Soap Opera Junky to deal with. (ha ha) Well, after I drilled Jordyn to make certain she hadn't seen something really bad, I got thinking how ridiculous it is that the Olympics couldn't be aired during this time because people needed their Soap Opera fix for the day. SAD!!! I guess I've learned my lesson, never to leave the T.V. on even if you are watching the Olympics.

Wow, We're 2 months old!

I can't believe the babies are 2 months old already! They are starting to develop their own little personalities and smile big beautiful smiles often! I love it when they actually make eye contact and then give big grins. They have also started to sleep better and for the past 5 nights, they have have slept from 11:00 until 6:00 give or take a 1/2 hour. Are we on to something??? Oh, probably not but I'm enjoying it while it lasts. Thus far, Porter seems to be the easy going, mellow one and Kamryn is more high maintenance but we enjoy both of them and love to see their unique personalities developing. I don't think I could've ever prepared myself for this experience. It's definetly full of surprises and very hectic all the time. I find myself looking forward to milestone ages..... 4 months (when they can play with toys), 6 months (when they can scoot), etc. but I know each of those stages will be hard it's own way so I need to enjoy every moment as it is. I love these little babies and feel so fortunate to have been blessed with 6 healthy children.

Boating with Aunt Ann

Last Sunday evening after the baby blessing the 3 girls got to go home with Aunt Ann and Uncle Val to stay the night. They had such a great time with Jessica and Shay that evening. They made cookies, played games, watched movies, etc. DJ and I came over Monday with the rest of the kids and we all met at the river to go boating. I was feeling rotten (with Mastitis) so I sat in the shade and watched babies while DJ, Kaleb and the girls road the tube and waterskiied. DJ got up on one ski and went for quite a long time around the river and Morgan had her first try at waterskiing with help from Aunt Ann. Both she and Morgan got in the water with skiis on and Ann skiied behind her. It was pretty funny to watch from the shore, they were doing pretty good at first but pretty soon you could see Morgan going in between Ann's legs and then her skiis fell off but she was still hanging on. She came up with a smile on her face though and is excited to try next year. The rest of the kids had a ball tubing and riding in the boat except for one incident at the end of the day. Morgan, Jordyn, and Kaleb were on the tube with Shaylin on the back and they took off and apparently there wasn't enough weight on the back so the tube went down in the front and the kids went off head first. Somehow Morgan managed to stay on but Kaleb and Jordyn went off head first which scared them to death. DJ and Ann convinced them to get back on and try again and the same thing happened, only this time Morgan and Jordyn fell off and Kaleb stayed on. Jordyn was under the tube for a second and then came up screaming...poor kids. Anyway, this time, DJ got on the back so there was more weight and they went for a good long ride around the river with no more spills off the tube. All in all, it was a great day and the kids even got to spend a little bit of time with Kate and Todd. Lori was kind enough to come over and watch the babies while I took a much needed nap. She got there right as I started feeling rotten and juggled the babies while I laid in a blanket and slept. Thanks Lor!!! That night we stayed with Ann and the girls had so much fun playing with Jessica and Shay. Jess set up a tent in their big living room with the door towards their big movie screen and watched a movie before bed. I don't think the girls were ready to come home after having so much fun with their big cousins. Thanks to Ann, Val, Jess and Shay for showing us a great time!

Porter and Kamryn's Blessing Day!

Kaleb, Cindy (holding Kamryn), Grandma Johnson (holding Porter), Grandma Rose (holding Jordyn), Regan and Morgan

Sunday we blessed the twins and were thrilled to have so much support from both of our families. We had a luncheon at 11:00 before the blessing and then headed to the church at 1:00. DJ gave both Porter and Kamryn beautiful blessings and they were both so good during them. Thank you to everyone who came that day to spend the day with us. DJ felt so bad that he couldn't be with us at the house but was glad to see everyone at the church for a second. Sundays are so busy now that he is the Bishop and we rarely see him other than at meetings but I'm thankful that he is willing to serve and appreciate his example to our children. We took some cute pictures of the babies that day but you'll notice that their daddy isn't in any of them... he wasn't home before or after church so that's why. We plan to cheat and dress them back up in their blessing outfits and take pictures next Sunday. Anyway, a big thanks to mom and dad Teichert and Mom and Dad Rose for all your help in preparing the meal and all the food that was brought from family was YUMMY!!!! We love you Porter and Kamryn!

I almost forgot to mention that I ended this wonderful day with a massive case of Mastitis (don't know if I spelled that right) but the name is as ugly as the illness!!! I've had it 3 times before so I knew immediately what it was. I was nursing one of the babies at church when I noticed that my chest was seriously aching and I knew I was in for a big treat. By the time I arrived home I had a bad headache, fever, stomache, etc. plus the pain in my chest so as soon as everyone left, my wonderful mother saved the day again and stayed with the babies and Kaleb (the other 3 went home with Aunt Ann) while I headed for the pharmacy and after literally dragging myself to 3 different Walgreen stores (thanks to some misinformation) I got the medication and made my way home, barely. In all honesty, I don't remember ever being that sick, I just wanted to die. Okay, that sounds dramatic but I didn't even feel like holding my babies so I guess I had to be pretty sick. Mom came up Monday night and stayed until Tuesday night which I appreciated SOOO much. I still didn't have much energy Tuesday and the babies were fussy so she held babies all day and kept things going in the house. THANKS MOM!! I finally feeling normal today, well, I really don't know what "normal" is but I'm feeling back to the way I was and able to do what I need to! I hope I don't get that stuff again soon....not fun.

More pics from the wonderful day!

CONGRATS, JULIE & STANTON & KIDS

Hurray for Julie and Stanton! We just got word that my sister had a new baby boy at about 2:30! He weighed 6 lbs 11 oz. and was 20 in. long. Apparently he is doing well other than the cord was wrapped around his neck a couple of times (not tight) so they are checking him out in the NICU but they think everything is fine. We are SOOOOO excited for them. I am thrilled that the twins will have a little buddy cousin close in age to pal around with. We love you Juj and Stanton and look forward to meeting little ???? (don't know his name yet)