Angels among us

I would not have survived these past three weeks had it not been for real angels who have helped us out so much. People watched our kids, drove me to the hospital and sat with me through multiple bilirubin checks for the twins, cleaned my house, made meals, did my dishes when my head pounded, folded laundry, kept me company, called to check up on me, and endless other small acts of service that have meant a lot. It's been humbling to be on the receiving end of service. I am very anxious for my mom to come this weekend! I am trying to get the babies on the same schedule-still a work in progress. I have to supplement with formula to keep up with the high intake of these guys (not to mention the output keeps me busy as well :) These babies are sweet and demanding little bundles. It keeps me on my toes to see to the needs of my other kids as well. Such is life. Thank goodness for warm 70 degree GA Springs!

Thanks to all you angels near and far!

My helpers

Doesn't get cuter than this

I would love to take credit for taking these first five pictures. But it was the lady at the hospital. I want to be a photographer when I grow up. The last three pictures pretty much entail our family talent of photo taking.

Brayden left, Connor Right

Brayden is the one who has his eyes open in these photos, which is still the case most of the time at our house. He is also the more vocal of the two.

Brayden

Connor

Brayden left, Connor right

The bouncer is getting a little crowded for two :) We can tell them apart now without having to check their wrist for the bracelet. I wouldn't trade having twins for anything. Nothing beats nursing two babies at once, burping them, and watching their intoxicated faces twitch with contentment.

This is how we travel these days

Jace is going to be a great photographer like his mom

We survived...at least the first week!

We survived the first week and as Ron's mom says "We look pretty darn good!"
I agree...Ron's parents were a huge help and we will miss them terribly when they leave!!!\
We had a lot of fun doing a photo shoot with the twins. Enjoy!

Proud parents

Our first picture with all SEVEN of us!

Who can fill in the blanks for this picture? We can't stop laughing at this one!

These are the moments when living away from family is hard...

I think JCPenny would hire us on the spot for our photography talents :)

This is a favorite

This makes it all worth it!

"He ain't heavy, he's my brother"

Don't they look excited to get their pictures taken?

Conner has the white hat, Brayden has blue

We cut off their hospital bands today and Brayden wears a blue bracelet

My sleep deprived brain can't think of anything witty to tie this up, so good night!

Yes, they are identical

A lot of people have asked if the twins are identical. Yes, they are identical, which we found is not a hereditary trait, only fraternal twins are. Babies in the womb have two sacks, the chorion (outer sack) and amnion (inner sack). The twins shared the chorion sack but had separate amnion sacks, that is how they could tell they were identical. There was only one placenta. Maybe more info than you wanted, but it's interesting. We are loving it and trying to catch a few winks now and then.

Little Miracles

Wow, it's hard to believe the babes are finally here. I will add a few details to the birth story that Ron so greatly posted for me previously. After not being able to sleep Thursday night from itchies and mild contractions, I plopped on the couch and slept fitfully for a few hours until I awoke to a pop from the belly. Weird feeling...so yes, off to the hospital with broken waters...la la la... and then after Brayden was born, they tried to get Connor out of his semi transverse position into full force head down. He went head down but his arm went up and over his head. The doc said that unless he moved it, I would have to get a c-section, which I did not want but would accept. He wasn't moving his arm so they upped the epidural in prep for surgery. I prayed and prayed Connor would move his arm. The doc checked one more time and he said "He's moved his arm!" We had to wait an hour and half for the epidural to wear off so I could push. Connor was bigger and I was pretty numb but we finally got him out after about 40 minutes of pushing. I was a very grateful mama!

It's still hard to believe at times that we had these on.

It's hard to tell them apart if they are not side by side. Brayden now has scratch marks on his face and is more pink...that won't last us forever though. We are trying to find some kind of birth mark to help us out. Even their dark wavy hair is the same. Ron and I try to quiz each other. Connor has a green ribbon on his hat that has helped us cheat.

The kids are loving it and didn't want to leave the hospital Friday night.

The king of the brood!

We came home yesterday. We have been supplementing with formula after I attempt nursing. Everyone is doing well and now the fun begins!

Introducing Brayden and Connor Guymon

They're here! At about 1:30 am Rachelle woke me up to tell me that her water broke. Since Jace and Becca came about 45 minutes after Rachelle's water broke, we rushed to the hospital as fast as we could go. I ran a red light and went 20 mph over the speed limit for most of the way. The doctors and nurses at the hospital were great. Rachelle got an epidural and then she actually delivered the babies in the surgery room in case of an emergency C-section. Brayden was born at 5:45 am. He weighed 5 lbs, 8 oz and is 18.75 inches long. It wasn't until 8:04 am that Connor was born. He took a bit more effort to get out since he weighed 6 lbs. 8 oz and 20 inches long. Rachelle and both babies are doing great. We feel so blessed to have these little guys, and so blessed that the delivery went well for them and Rachelle. We couldn't ask for better friends to come over in the middle of the night, watch our children, and offer as much help as we could hope for. Thank you everyone!

A stranger never to be forgotten

This is a non-pregnancy related post...yes, the buns are still in the oven. But I really wanted to share this short sweet story that happened to us last night.

We were eating out at Taco Bell last night as a family. If you go anywhere outside of Utah with three young children and a very pregnant mama you are sure to attract gazes. As Ron was about to pay for our food a kind, older gentleman said to Ron, "I would like to pay for your food." Ron asked why and the man said "The Lord told me to. I've been in your place before trying to provide for a family." The man paid for our food and left.

This really touched me and reinforced that there are such kind people everywhere. We ended up having a really nice night as a family at Taco Bell (much better than previous near disasters we've had there). I want to be more like this man and find small ways to help others. I get caught up in my busy life and what I have to do that I miss those subtle moments in which I could serve others.