Our big news.

Most of you already know, but some of you may not. Our little family of four will become a family of six in early April! Yes, I said SIX! We are expecting twins! Never in a million years did I think that I would have four kids in just over 2 years. Don't get me wrong, this is like a dream come true. I feel like we have won the lottery on this one. Ever since I was a young girl, I have wanted five kids. I'll take four! Close enough! I think I got the idea from my awesome cousins who had five adorable, spunky, sociable, witty kiddos,  that I was fortunate to grow up babysitting. I didn't keep this dream a secret from Cory, I'm pretty sure I told him like on our second or third date. Believe it or not, it didn't scare him away! When Cory and I decided that we were ready to have kids, it didn't exactly go the way we had planned. It took us 5 years to get pregnant with our girls, Izzy and Ava. When we got the news that we were having twins the first time, I immediately became a believer in miracles! When we got the news that we were having twins the second time, I immediately thought, "Wow, God really does have a sense of humor!" I was ecstatic! Although, I've had mixed emotions about having four kids almost two years old and under. I'm scared to death, but so excited I could jump out of my skin. I'm worried, but thrilled for the adventure that will soon be called our life. Most of all I am thankful. Many people think it's crazy. Some even tell me I'm crazy. Maybe I am! I am overjoyed for what the future will bring for my family. Deep inside I know that we would never be given anything we couldn't handle. I have the best partner in the world to take this journey with me. Cory has proven over and over again that he is the best father, husband, and friend I could ever ask for. Again, I am thankful. I am one lucky girl. So come April, Izzy and Ava will have a new little brother and a new little sister. I am eager to watch them take their new role as "big sisters".

A cupcake celebration with the family.

Izzy Sleep Eats

'Tis the season!

This year I was more excited than last to decorate for Christmas. The girls know who Santa is and LOVE Christmas trees, Christmas lights, and really anything Christmas! When I told them that we were going to put up our tree, they were super excited. They even helped decorate! I made sure to put the tree up in the front room where I can close the door. This was a good decision... the girls would be in there all day decorating and redecorating, over and over again if they could! Each night we plug in our tree and sit and look at how beautiful it is. It's one of my favorite things to do before we all go to bed. We also started the Elf on the Shelf tradition this year. Our elf's name is Rosie. The girls named her after Rosie on Caillou (of course). They know that Rosie is watching to make sure they are good girls. They enjoy looking for Rosie's new spot each morning when they wake up. The holidays just keep getting more and more each year!

Rosie!

We ventured out.

Over the last couple of weeks, it's been too cold to play outside. We all were getting a little stir crazy. We had exhausted our trips to Target (believe me... the cashiers know the girls), so it was time to get a little more creative. I had looked into different indoor play areas and came across the Brooklyn Park Community Center Tot Play. I emailed dad and he was on board (if you know me, I don't like to try new things alone, lol). So off we went. I had checked, checked again, and triple checked to make sure that the playtime would be in session (it was Thanksgiving week). The website stated that it was in fact going on. When we got to the playtime, it was CANCELLED! WHAT?! There happened to be a National Guard Coat Drive going on and they cancelled the playtime last minute. Ok, plan B. I had been wanting to check out the Maple Grove Maze, so we piled into the car and headed that way. A little more expensive, but well worth it. The girls loved running free, climbing and interacting with strange kids (there were a couple of real strange ones...).

Papa photo-bombed this one

 Our next adventure took place at Chuck E. Cheese. Cory has been dying to go there for the last 4 months (that is an understatement). So we called up some friends and asked if they wanted to bring their little girl Lucy to meet us for dinner and playtime. We each assigned ourselves to a kid and followed them around the joint. Both girls were a little nervous to ride the rides, so that didn't last very long. They were actually very pleased with just roaming around and checking everything out. You know what that means... left over tokens! Susie (Lucy's mom) and I headed straight for the ski-ball! We figured we would play until our tokens were gone and donate our winnings (tickets) to the kids to get a prize. Turns out I'm not as great as I thought I was at ski-ball. Izzy and Ava ended up getting a Chuck E. Cheese tattoo (which they LOVED!) and a roll of Smarties.

Classic photo booth picture to end the night! We're saving this one!