Fourth of July Weekend

We had a great Fourth of July weekend, which was spent with family, friends and food!

Robin, Brad and his three girls drove from Columbia, Missouri to visit.  While they were here, the swimming pool and diving board got a workout.  There were a lot of raft races, flips and dives.  The Girls were such a big help with the Boys; they took turns feeding them and bathing them.  We had big fun!

Debbie, Roger, Jamie and Mitchell took time out of their busy weekend to join us for dinner.  It was great to see them and hear all about Aunt Debbie's goats and chickens; we can't wait to take the Boys for a visit when they get a little older.

On Monday, July 4th, we participated in our neighborhood parade.  The Girls made signs and we all walked the parade route. It was fun and HOT. We were treated to watermelon in the park afterwards. 

Here are the Boys in the parade!

Hey Mom, we are HOT!

Here are the Boys and Girls on the last day of their visit.

Riley, Jackson, Lauren, Brooks and Payton

Crawling, Crawling and More Crawling

My little guys are on the move!

Jackson started crawling over a week ago and Brooks started a few days ago.

Jackson has it mastered. He crawls and pulls up everywhere without too much hesitation. It took him a few days to get used to the wood floors, but now they don't slow him down.

Brooks doesn't crawl with as much confidence, but I know that in a matter of days he will have it mastered. When he hits the wood floors he pulls his knees up and crawls on his toes; it's pretty cute.

Speaking of toes, they are keeping me on mine now!

On the move

Wordless Wednesday is back!

(Brooks is on the left and Jackson is on the right.)

Wordless Wednesday - Jackson and Trent

What a mess

My hair has caused me angst the majority of my life.  When I was little, I can remember sitting at the vanity and Mom painstakingly combing out all the tangles.  It was awful.  I would protest and she would tell me "you have to suffer to be beautiful." 

When I got a little older Mom permed my hair.  I still question this decision considering I have naturally curly hair.  I guess it was the thing to do.

When I was in high school I wanted big beautiful curls, not the tiny messy curls I naturally have.  So I got a perm from some beauty school flunky at JC Penny's in the Ardmore Mall, then cried as I left because the curls where even tighter than I had to begin with. 

In my 20's I straightened my hair.  I would spend hours working on it.

Now in my 30's, I've finally accepted my hair for what it is.  I don't perm, I don't straighten, I just embrace it.

Then I got pregnant. 

Due to a spike in your estrogen level, you loose little hair while pregnant.  I had thick beautiful hair.

Now, post pregnancy my hair is a mess.  That fabulous estrogen level has plummeted and I now find my hairs everywhere, EVERYWHERE.  I thought our dog shed a lot, now it's me.  I loose it by the handfuls.  My ponytail is wimpy and my hair is just...yuck.  It should be back to normal within a year.  Just one more way my body has suffered for these great babies. 

Speaking of babies, here they are just two weeks old.  So tiny. 



Jackson and Brooks



5 Months Old - April 6, 2011

Yesterday, the Boys turned 5 months old!  I sang Happy Birthday to them.  They just looked at me funny.

I'm so amazed at how much the Boys have grown and developed in five short months.  They've gone from having a bobblehead to holding their heads high.  They used to sleep a lot and now are awake most of the day.  They used to stare through me, now they turn their head and follow me as I walk away.  They are ticklish, they giggle, Jackson squeals and Brooks is scooting across the floor.  I can't wait to see what the next five months bring.

For their five month picture, I tried to recreate the picture taken of them on their first day at home.

And this is what I got...

When they both get going, they sure can be loud!

After I finally got them settled, I was able to get some great shots.  I couldn't pick just one for the blog, so here they all are. 



Their facial expressions really make me giggle.



Jackson loves to swat at Brooks' face.



Happy Birthday, Jackson and Brooks!

Do we look alike?

I often hear "they look so alike."

I just don't see it. 

Maybe it's because I know them so well.  I know all their differences.  They make different funny faces, different noises, eat differently, sleep differently, have different dispositions.  They even cry differently.  One has bigger feet.  One has a bigger belly.  One has more hair.  One has lighter hair.

I love these little guys.  I love them for all their similarities and differences!

Photo courtesy Jade Ellis

Everything Digital

Digital Scrapbooks
I'm not into scrapbooking.  It requires a lot of tools, space and time.  But, I want to document my children's life.  Thanks to Hollywood Housewife, I found a solution to my problem.  Project Life makes this task manageable.  It's all digital so it's something I can work on here and there...all I need is a computer.  Upload all your pictures and with a few clicks and some text your scrapbook is on its way to completion.  Project Life offers a couple of options - daily layouts or monthly layouts.  I chose monthly.  Each month I plug in a few pictures with some text and viola...all done.  Check it out...you will be amazed at how easy and user friendly it is.

Photo Books
Also thanks to Hollywood Housewife, I figured out what to do with all the digital photos from the Boys newborn photo shoot.  In less than an hour, I designed a hardback book using Blurb.com.  I also found this site to be very user friendly. I will post pictures of the book when I receive it in the mail.  I think photo books would also make great gifts!

iPhone App
I'm totally addicted to the Instagram app.  If you have an iPhone, download the free app, search for me by name (Kendra Bridges) and choose to "follow" me.  I'm going to take a break from Facebook and post pictures here instead.  So if you have an iPhone join in the fun, then you can take pictures with the app and show me what's going on in your world.  Leave me a comment when you have downloaded the app so I can "follow" you.  Here are a couple of pictures I posted on Instagram over the weekend.

The boys at the beginning of our Sam's shopping trip.

The Boys at the end of the shopping trip.  Brooks was not happy!

Bailey with blooms from our Bradford Pear Tree on her nose. 

The old adage...

The old adage, "a picture is worth a thousand words," is very true. Just take a look at this picture.

Oh, I just love this picture; it is so telling of each of their current personalities. I use the word "current," because 3 months ago I would have said the opposite about each of them.

Brooks (on the left) - He is such a bruiser! He grunts, he burps, he slobbers, he gulps and just looks so ornery! I love this picture of him. He is all smiles and just wants his Brother to talk to him. He also only has on one sock. The little rug rat is constantly rolling over and kicks off his socks.

Jackson (on the right) - He is so angelic! Just look at that face of his. He is a very quiet eater, he doesn't burp, he has an Elvis smile and bats his eyes. He loves to coo and giggle. I just want to kiss his cheeks all day long.

I'm eager to see how their personalities will continue to change.

Lazy Sunday

Before babies, our weekends included breakfast in bed and lounging around watching movies. Now, things aren't quite so relaxed. However, we did get to spend part of this past Sunday morning in bed. The Boys love their boppy pillows, so warm and cozy.

Say Cheese - #2

Pictures from the Boys newborn photo session are available for viewing until December 5th. Click here, then go to the Client section and enter the password Bridges.

Here are a few videos I took during the photo session.

Peaceful

Two Weeks Old

I'm a little delayed in posting their two week photos, however here they are just after their bath on Saturday.

Say Cheese

The boys had their newborn photo session last Wednesday. The photographers came to the house and set up in the living room and also took some pictures in their nursery. They were true Baby Whisperers. The boys slept most of the time, which aloud Megan to place them just right. For a sneak peak of some of the pictures please click here.

The rest of the photos should be ready to view after Thanksgiving. I will post a new link at that time.

Mixed Emotions

Last night I was telling Trent that I'm ready for Monday so I can say that we're 10 weeks from D-Day. That is 2.5 months! In the next breath, a wave of panic flashed over my entire body. Oh my, in 2.5 months we are going to be responsible for the love and care of two little boys. I find this thought exciting, exhilarating and downright scary.

At times I feel like these 6.5 months have dragged by and at other times like it was just the other day that I found out I was pregnant. I'm sure these next few months will fly by whether I like it or not.

Today I lined up the photographer (Megan DeShazo with DeShazo Photography) for their newborn photos, which will be taken within two weeks of their birth. Here is her website…click on galleries, then newest faces. These infant photos are too precious for words. Enjoy!