The Twins Are One

I am so behind on blogging, but before I jump to present and stop back tracking (that's the hope we will see if it happens) I need to blog about my twinners first birthday and year. We celebrated their birthday on their birthday. They got great presents like diapers, new clothes, and some bath balls. Not too awesome, but one year-olds don't care, so they got what they need and will use. These twins have favorite foods, so we had something with syrup for breakfast, lunch was sandwiches, and then dinner was their favorite--PIZZA. Those two love pizza. Cheese is their favorite but they will tolerate pepperoni if they have to. They match there sisters eating about one piece each and sometimes more. They LOVE pizza. After pizza we had their birthday cake. It was a little crazy with twins trying to keep hands out of candles and stuff AND take pictures. Luckily, two big sisters were more than willing to hold down arms. We got some pictures and sang Happy Birthday and then we let them have at it. We had Texas Sheet Cake, so it was a good amount of messy, at least I think so. They thought it was delicious and gobbled it up. That pretty much covers the celebration. Nothing too grand, but boy was it hard on their sisters to wait for them open presents, wait for cake, and not be the center. They both struggle on each other's birthday, but this was the first time we had both not being the center of attention. It was quite funny actually, and hopefully it will go smoother. I definitely lucked out that they were only one, because boy that after Christmas birthday snuck-up on me. However, it was fun to have something to celebrate on New Years.

Kade and Abby

Kylee, Kade, Abby, and Tia

Kade opening his present

Abby opening her present.

Abby

Kade

Gaupo, Kade, Kylee, Abby, Tia

Kade eating cake

Abby messing in her cake.

Year one with twins. Parts were so slow and I was sure my life was going to be slow and I don't know hard and dragging forever. However, about 6 months things started to get a little easier, and time kind of sped up again for me. Having two baby babies at the same time was really hard. Plus, trying to figure out feeding, and sleeping and getting over that these guys just weren't going to get held as much and that was okay. Also that they two older girls weren't getting as much of me as they were use to and that was okay. Summer was hard with needing to get those babies two naps, but they were old enough that travel was really pretty good. Homework with the older two is tricky while having babies. Despite all these thing we are doing it! And, it is awesome. These twins fill my life to the brim with joy. Not all the time, we have times were I want to have bed time and 4:30PM or times when its just not great, but I don't want to focus on those times. Just know my life is real. It has hard moments, but it also has really good moments which is where I prefer to dwell and remember.

The first year was not what I expected and I am beginning to think twins is not what I thought it would be. Currently, it is the best. I have two active super fun babies. Abby is super happy, really creative and a tease. Kade is kind of like my other kids wants attention, but better in the fact that if I can't give it he can entertain himself sort of. Kade is a doer though. He loves to be the center of attention, understood, and able to get what he wants.  These two pretty much share a birthday and that is where commonality kind of stops. Kade loves his pacifier, moving, being in the middle of everything, extremely vocal when he needs something, always moving or doing something. He as also 2nd to crawl, first to do stairs up and down and the first to take a bottle. Abby love pillows and stuffies. She loves to sit in my lap and observe what is happening around her. She tries things first and if it isn't to her liking or she doesn't think she can do it she wont. You can't force her to do very much. She is determined. However, she is a big tease and often take things from Kade he screams and she attempts to give it back or does just to do it again. Although Kade has started to do it back and hang on better, so she can't do it quite as much. She was first to crawl, took forever to do the stairs, but did it perfectly once she decided to.

Lately might heart overflows with gratitude for these twins in my life. They make the time I get with Kylee and Tia more special. They have the best laughs that make you just want to keep playing and winding them up, so its really hard to send them  to nap. They have their daddy wrapped super tight around their little fingers. Those two are held, and played with by Gaupo all the time. It is the cutest thing to watch them and him. They have helped make Gaupo and I better parents. They have helped me to better see what's most important and when certain things matter. They have helped us grow so much. I feel so blessed to have them.

2019 Family Letter

I really ought to send out a Christmas card every year, but I haven't yet and don't think it will happen this year. Maybe 2020? Anyway, here is a digital version of what a Christmas Family letter would be like if I wrote one and sent it.

Gaupo- Jason is enjoying his job as Head of Technical Services for the Longmont Public Library. This past year he has probably learned more about hiring, interviews, city policies, and people than he ever intended to, but has loved almost all of it. He was the ward mission leader for most of 2019 and did well there too. He loves biking to work in the spring, but tolerates it in the summer too when he feels it is too hot. He really learned a lot finishing the basement and put those skills to go work with finishing that project, and doing a few small others around the house.He still loves his video games, kids, and of course his fabulous wife me.

Adventure Girl- I was a stay-at-home non-working mom the whole year. That was change but so wonderful considering on Jan. 1, 2019 I gave birth to twins. It has been a non-stop party since. First, it was trying to feed and understand and care for two babies at once. Then it was working on a schedule. Then summer with 4 kids at home. Then about school time the party got a little more fun for me with twins on a schedule and more interactive, and adding in Physical Therapy and Helmet appts for Kade.Then, I enjoyed coaching Tia's soccer team this fall, and decided to teach Kylee piano lessons. I still love to bake, raise kids, go to the temple, and be with Gaupo.

Kylee- Kylee started second grade in the fall and has been doing great. She is reading the American Girl Doll books and loving them. She played soccer for the first time this fall and loved being on the team and playing as a forward. Kylee still loves being read to, playing with Tia, watching movies, being with her family and playing with her best friends (Tori Jacobson and Harper Goldsberry). Kylee has a fun personality and loves to talk, and constantly asks questions. She is quite the deep thinker.

Tia- Tia started Kindergarten this year and goes full day since Colorado funded all-day Kindergarten. She loves it most of the time. It is a challenge for her and so she comes home everyday ready to just let loose and do her thing once she is home. Her favorite post school activity is swinging her cuddle swing. She still loves riding her bike, scootering, Kade and Abby, and watching TV. Tia is still so kind and creative.

Kade- Kade is quite the kid. He loves pushing his cars all over the place and his pacifier. I think he rivals Tia in love for the cuddle swing. He knows how to throw a fit when people take things from him. He love crawling, going up and down stairs and slides. He is such a funny kid and his smile is irresistible.  His big bright blue eyes and super blonde hair catch everyone's attention. This kid keeps us on our toes with his desire to climb and be right in the middle of all the action any time he is awake.

Abby- Abby is a great twin for Kade. She loves to investigate things and figure them out. She almost always evaluates the scene before jumping in. She took forever to do the stairs but when she decided to do it she did it perfectly. She knows how to press all of Kade's buttons the biggest one being taking his pacifier. My favorite thing is she will crawl in my lap and is content just to be there. I don't have to play with her or read her a book we can just sit together. She had a great laugh and smile, and is typically very mild tempered.

2019 has been a great year and we look forward to all that 2020 brings.

Happy New Year! Love, The Jason and Katey Merrill Family

Abby, Adventure Girl, Gaupo, Kade, Kylee, and Tia

The Rest of Christmas Break

The following week (week 2 of Christmas break) was really good as well. I was really not very ready to send my big girls back to school. I enjoyed hearing them play together, learn to be creative with their Christmas gifts, and play with them myself. There was a little part of me that was ready but only because after a full year of having the twins as part of our life, my girls still can't leave them alone. Whenever my girls are bored and can't figure out what to do their default is to go find a baby and do so something to them or with them, and sometimes both. Both Kylee and Tia have the capacity to play really nicely with the twins and luckily the twins put up with a lot, but after 2 weeks the good starts getting less and the twins are ready for their space. But other than that little aspect, it was a great break. My favorite part was playing games with them. I purposely asked for some good kid/adult games and I got some. The Magic Labyrinth is the first favorite, but they also enjoy Suspend. We have other games they like but I packed them. I really probably should have kept out more, but oh well. I love having my big girls to myself and having just a little bit of time to focus on them and play with them. Also, them with the twins at the park was really fun too. A little crazy but for the most part really fun.

That is the majority of what we did on break was play either at home or at the park, but New Years Eve was a little different. New Year's Eve day wasn't really any different, but around 5:30 we got the party started. We had our friend the Jacobson's over for dinner. When they first got here the kids were so excited, so we let them run around and play for awhile while we visited, but then the twins said it was time for dinner, so we rounded everyone up and enjoyed Nachos. I love nachos, but that super processed cheese is a killer on my health I know it, so I only do it every so often and I decided that New Years Eve was the perfect time. It was. So, we had dinner and enjoyed visiting. Near the end Trent was having kind of a rough time with everything, so we tried to get him to play some games, but the girls kind of took over those a little bit too, so then around 8:45 they headed home to do whatever at their house. We had the girls get ready for bed, and then toasted in the new year with them. Then we sent them to bed. Gaupo stayed up with me and played my new game the Labyrinth, and then he said he couldn't take it any more. So, we got ready for bed and then he went to sleep. I hadn't studied my scriptures yet, so I did that then watch some fireworks out our bedroom window to welcome in the New Year and crawled into bed. I really hate when that happens--ringing in the New Year with just me, but oh well it happens. Gaupo usually has to work all day and then socializing kind of drains him whereas I totally love it. So, it happens and its better some years than others.

2019 was such a great year. We welcomed twins, finished our basement, lived through sending both girls to full day school, learned to get two bids on major purchases, Kylee learned/ is learning to read, Tia is still enjoying school, and I get to be a mom while Gaupo provides. We experienced the tender mercy of having warm weather when our furnace went out before Christmas and we couldn't get what we needed to done until after Christmas. It was a crazy ordeal with space heaters running for almost 2 weeks. Getting one bid for a furnace, and being encouraged to get another bid and find out they could do it for 1/2 the price. CRAZY! However, we have a furnace it was done by a good HVAC guy and it really worked out well, but oh man was my stress kind of through the roof at times. It was a crazy year raising double the amount of kids as previous years, but I learned and grew so much. My love for my children has grown. I love being a mom (most days). My testimony has grown and I also think that I am beginning to understand how God reveals things to me in my life. I still have a long way  to go with that, but its better. I really feel like 2019 was a year of upward movement, and I am way excited for 2020.

2020 will definitely be new. New house, new ward, hopefully new friends, and some new goals. It should be great.

Christmas 2019

Christmas was so wonderful. Things had been so crazy with the houses before Christmas that we couldn't wait for Christmas to come, so that we just had a day to just be a family and play. Christmas Eve day Gaupo had to work, so us girls worked hard to make Christmas dinner. Having the girls help me cook was fun, but also helped me realize just how nice more counter space in the kitchen will be. Tia helped me make sweet potatoes and corn casserole and Kylee helped with the cheesy potatoes. I made 7 layer pie and green bean casserole on my own while the girls played. It was a crazy day filled with baking, and kids. I loved it. I was totally worn out by evening though and Gaupos work day was kind of stressful, but we still had fun. We had dinner around 6:15 and its always fun to have our real dishes and a feast that is filled with all sorts of yummy things.

Kylee, Kade, Gaupo, Abby, and Tia at dinner.

Me, and the kids at dinner.

After dinner, we opened our Christmas Eve gifts. I made everyone pajama pants. Well, almost everyone. Gaupo wears gym shorts and I didn't see what the point in making him pants he wasn't going to wear was, so I bought him gym shorts, which ended up to be more perfect than originally planned. The kids all had polar bears with a sky blue background on their pj's so I wanted Gaupo's shorts to coordinate. Well, I went to one Wal-Mart and I couldn't find any gym shorts. I was kind of worried he wouldn't get anything at this point. However, I ended up needing to make a trip to Wal-Mart again and went to the north end and they had quite a few. As I looked through them, I found this pair and decided that they were to big and saw these other ones that were cheaper. Then I noticed not only were they cheaper they were on clearance. So, I was debating which ones to get, when I looked at the first pair and noticed that they were on clearance too, and were only $1.00. So, I got them because they are big and the right color and bottom line $1.00. Those 3 things make them perfect for Gaupo. I also made myself a pair of pants, they are blue-ish but not the same as the kids because I didn't have enough of that fabric.

Abby, Tia, Kylee, and Kade

Tia, and Kylee

Abby, and Kade.

Me, Kylee, Gaupo, and Tia.

Family pic on Christmas morning. Me, Abby, Gaupo, Kade, Kylee, and Tia.

Anyway, we opened those and took pictures. Then we put the twins to bed and watched the new nativity video with the girls and sent them to bed. Then Gaupo and I chatted and enjoyed each other for a little while and then went to bed too.

Christmas morning dawned. Gaupo actually slept in, so when the girls woke up at 6:30 and he wasn't at the stairs they were kind of disappointed. However, he got up with them and let them watch a show at the top of the stairs. Then the twins weren't quite up yet, so I convinced the girls to watch another nativity video before going downstairs. Luckily, the twins woke up and we all went down. Kylee and Tia couldn't wait for the twins to do their stockings, so we let Kylee and Tia get theirs open. Santa was very generous and considerate this year with socks, underwear, pillows, and a super surprise of Legos. The twins loved all the candy in their stockings (that they actually haven't gotten to eat too much of but they loved holding and mushing it. They also loved the pillows, especially Abby. She love finding them and laying on them. It was way cute. After stockings, we had breakfast. Santa brought doughnuts, and juice. Gaupo added some delicious cheesy ham eggs. It was a tasty breakfast. Of course, after breakfast was presents.

We had the girls each open one gift and then we let the twins open all of theirs. They didn't have too many and it was fun to watch. Then we put them down for a nap while we finished opening presents. It was driving Tia nuts having to wait so long for her presents, but she did it and it was really fun. Everyone got some good things. The girls gift from us this year was roller blades, so once the twins were up we all went to the park where there is a roller rink and Gaupo took care of the twins while the girls and I roller bladed. We have been a few times since and they are getting really pretty good. I am very impressed at how they stick with it. I think its very fun and relaxing. After the park, it was leftover dinner for lunch and then naps for Gaupo and the twins and play time for the rest of us. The girls I played some of the games we got, the girls roller bladed and we did some video chatting. When the twin woke up, we worked on organizing the Christmas Bomb, so that you could sort of see the living room floor and opened the twin gift from us which was new carseats! So, exciting huh;) The twins loved them though and were having a great time sitting in them and climbing on them. They loved it. Then we decided if we were going to put them in the car and end the fun we might as well make it worth it, so we put them and then went and looked at Christmas light. The twins loved their seats, we found one house that was super awesome and quite a few others that were really nice. We listened to Christmas music and just enjoyed each other. When we got home we had dinner, put the twins to bed, let the girls stay up and watch a movie. Then it was bed time. I think it might have been bed time for everyone.

Christmas!

Tia

Kylee

Gaupo with his napping quilt

Kade

Abby

Kylee, Tia, and I roller blading.

Thursday Gaupo took off work, so we had another day to just relax and play and that is what we did. We just played more with our Christmas stuff. The girls and I went roller blading. We had good food, that night we watched another movie together. It was so great to just have two days in a row to be together.

Friday Gaupo was off as well, but that was because he would be working Saturday, but sadly it was get the house clean day because our inspection was on Saturday morning. So, the kids did a lot of playing, and Gaupo pretty much held down the kid fort while I worked on cleaning bathrooms and finding place for the new stuff the we/the kids got. However, we got it done still managed to go to the park, and still enjoy parts of the day it was just a lot of cleaning which isn't my favorite so close to Christmas.

Saturday was inspection day for the house. We left at 11:00AM and went to Costco and then went to the library where had lunch with Gaupo and killed the remainder of the time till we could go home at 2:00PM. It was fun to have lunch with Gaupo and we needed to go to Costco so it worked out, but boy am I not an out and about at stores mom. I was so exhausted from just doing Costco and the library. I can do parks and bike rides way easier than stores, and other places where you have make sure your kids don't touch stuff that they aren't suppose to. Oh well, it was good day and the inspection turned out really well, so all good things, all good things.

It was so nice to be a family for Christmas. I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to study about Christs birth in the 'Come Follow Me' program. It was so insightful and made the celebration of Christmas seem so much more celebratory because without Christ all of the hope, joy, peace, and love I feel in my life couldn't exist because all of my mistakes and short comings would be too glaring, and hopeless. I am so grateful for my Savior and his sacrifice for me. I am so very very grateful for my Savior and Father in Heaven.

Its Been Nuts and Tia's Six

When we arrived home from Thanksgiving I was so looking forward to getting decorations up and relaxing into Christmas. I did get decorations up but relaxing into Christmas got thrown out the window. We have been considering moving and have been perusing the market to see if there was something in our price range that would give us more than what we have right now. Well, we accidentally found the perfect house. So, we made an offer and negotiated a bit on that and then wabam had to get our house on the market in less than a week. Only 3 days after acceptance. Our offer was a contingency offer, so we have/had until Jan. 13th to get under contract. I started boxing up 'spare' things and cleaning and cleaning. Gaupo was trying to work and help me. Plus, after consulting with my realtor sister in Arizona (Lindsay Bryce just in case you need a great one) we decided that the main floor, hallway, and master bath needed to be repainted. I did not have the time, brain power, or capacity to do it so we hired it out. I love that it brightened up the place a ton, but not sure I love it. Anyway, our house was live on the market 1 week after our offer was accepted (Dec. 11). We had a ton of showing requests and received and accepted an offer in less than 48 hours. We actually had 2 offers in that time. We were so blessed. So, we still honored the showings for Saturday, but then I luckily didn't have to worry about those anymore and we could let our house be on Christmas break kind of. We still had an inspection that went well, and the appraisal is this week. This is all so fast. I totally planned to make this home purchase a way more planned endeavor, but that isn't how it has worked out so here we are moving in February.

In the midst of all of that crazy, we had a spunky gal who turned six--Tia. Tia was such a champ. She wanted balloons on her birthday and loved all the attention and 'special privileges' (like getting your hair done first) that came with her being the birthday girl. We had mac and cheese for lunch and taco's for dinner. She was so excited about her presents that she opened them first thing once everyone was awake. She actually wanted to open them sooner, but we made her wait till everyone was up. She had a brownie cake for dessert. She loved her birthday and I was so glad. It was such a blessing that it landed on Sunday that was we could really celebrate her and not worry about anything but her.

Here is a little Tia update for you. Tia is officially six and if you ask her how old she is she will tell you "I just barely turned 6." She loves school. She enjoys the kids there and she is kept super busy. This year at her IEP (individual education plan) meeting the teachers and I decided to label her with having a developmental delay which doesn't really mean a whole lot except Tia can get the help she needs at school. Tia now receives speech therapy, occupational therapy, and special education which pretty much means she gets pulled out of the classroom twice a day to get extra help on school work. In some ways it seems so wrong to put a label on her, but the bottom line is Tia needs more help than the average kid and the way to get the help she needs is by allowing a label to be put on her for the next three years. In three years we reevaluate and see what we need to do. There was a lot of prayer and fasting put into that meeting that I went to and I know we have done the right thing for her. She is smart and knows things, but getting that to show is a really challenge. However, she loves it all and it doesn't bug her a bit that she gets to go with cool adults and other friends to do things away from her class, in fact she loves it. So, for now it works and she gets to come home and be a kid which I LOVE!

Tia is still her super energetic self. She still loves biking, and scootering. She recently got a pair of rollerblades for Christmas and does excellent on those too. She loves the swing in the basement and can swing and twist on that thing for quite awhile. She did amazing at building the lego set we gave her for her birthday. She did it pretty much all on her own. Though she did work better if nobody was being distracting and if you just paid attention to her. You didn't have to give her directions she just like to have your attention. She loves music and knows how to run all the CD players in the house. She also loves it super loud. She loves watching movies and shows when we will let her. Kylee is still her best friend although, Kade and Abby are her favorite play toys. She loves those twins. She still loves hauling them around, chasing them, cuddling and smashing them, and loving them. Tia's sweet spirit is still running in her body and she care for everyone. She has a big heart and love to take care of people and help. Tia is such a joy. She brings so much party, and life to my life. I am so grateful to be her mom. She is quite the amazing girl, I hope she always believes she is as awesome as she thinks she is right now. Because 6 year old Tia can do anything, is game for anything, and has tons of life and spunk.

Love you Tia girl!

Birthday morning.

Tia with her favorite people. Kylee, Abby, and Kade.

Tia and her family.

Tia

Tia and Kylee

Tia and her lego set.

Tia in her new dress.

Working on her lego set.

Almost there.

Done.

Tia and her cake.

The family cake picture