Spontaneous Pictures

     This busy afternoon I decided to pause and take a few pictures of the girls!  Katie was in a great mood, so I wanted to seize the moment.  The natural lighting in their room was perfect, so I started snapping away.  Jubilee was taking a nap, so I let her snooze away.  Once Jubilee woke up I tried to get some pictures of her, but the lighting in the room just wasn't the same!  Well, here are some of my favorites of the day.  I'm going to have to try another day with Jubilee!

Jubilee

Jubilee

Jubilee trying to stand.

Jubilee laughing at her Daddy in the background.

Looking out the window.

Sweet Jubilee

Katie

Katie scrunching up her nose

Serious

Silly Katie bug

Standing

Katie showing off her first tooth!!!

Graduation

     This weekend I graduated with a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing from Ball State University!  It is hard to believe that my academic career is over.  Being a student is all I know, so James and I are anxious to see how I do in the "real world".

James and I after the Pinning Ceremony

     Friday night was my nursing "pinning ceremony".  Graduating registered nurses have a tradition of getting "pinned" to signify becoming a nurse.  I was so blessed to have my family there, and it was a touching ceremony that was individualized for my specific nursing class.  James and I worked so hard for this day.  In my first nursing assessment class, James was my subject to practice all of my skills on.  Before we had the girls, James would give me space to study.  Once the girls arrived, he would typically watch them on Sundays so I could study.  This accomplishment was just as much Jim's as mine.  We both can't believe that school is over for me!

Lining up for Graduation with my friends from Nursing School!

     Saturday morning was the actual graduation ceremony.  The girls were able to attend this ceremony.  We felt that the pinning ceremony would necessitate the girls being quiet.  We have discovered that children are the loudest when you want them to be quiet.  I really wanted the girls to be there, so I could tell them when they are older that they were present when I graduated.  I was able to sit next to all of the friends I made this semester (my class graduated in May, so I met an entire new group of people this fall).  These were women who had their LPN, and they were going for their RN.  I was fortunate to have clinical with them because their lives were more in sync with me.  We all are married and have children.  I was able to identify with them much easier than other women my age.  The graduation ceremony seemed to take a long time, and my name was pronounced horribly wrong.  However, the girls behaved perfectly.  They were able to wear little nursing scrubs Susan made them!  They were so cute!  It was so nice having my family there to celebrate this accomplishment!

Grandpa and I after graduation.

     I would like to thank everyone who helped/contributed to me finishing college!  It seemed like yesterday I was a shy, insecure 18-year-old girl moving into Woodworth.  I am now a much more confident wife, mother, college graduate, and soon-to-be-nurse ( I still have to pass my licensing exam-NCLEX).

Final Clinical

     Part of my last semester curriculum included a "Management" course.  While this class was not the most exciting course in the world, I still learned a lot.  The clinical for this course included shadowing a nurse with her schedule for two weeks. This program is known as "Capstone".  The nurse that I shadowed worked on the Pediatric Unit at Ball Memorial Hospital.

     Thanks to a supportive family, I was able to stay in Muncie without having to drive home following a twelve hour shift.  This prevented the girls from being disturbed, and I'm sure they enjoyed their time with their family.  James and I are so thankful that we had assistance during my Capstone experience. 

     I learned a lot with the Capstone program. I was able to apply a lot of my school training towards this experience.  I really feel more confident about being an RN.  I had only had one patient on a consistent basis, and I wasn't really the person in charge.  With this program I was able to provide total RN care for three patients at a time.  I was worried that I wouldn't have the organizational skills to be able to do it already, but I actually enjoyed it.  I was even able to call a physician, which is usually intimidating for a new nurse. 

     During the two weeks of me doing this program, the girls reached so many milestones.  Jubilee started crawling last Friday, and she hasn't looked back!  Both of them, especially Jubilee, are trying to pull themselves up on their legs.  Jubilee has figured out how to click her tongue.  They occassionally wave, and Katie sometimes will shake her head "Yes".  The girls have had a lot of fun discovering the apartment, and it has led to "fun" that only a mom of multiple little children can understand.  The girls have had a lot of fun getting into the dog food and playing with the blinds on the back screen door.

The girls playing together to get in the dog food.

Jubilee waking up from a nap.

Katherine playing with the dog cage.

Thanksgiving 2012

     The girls had a successful first Thanksgiving with both sides of our families.  On Thanksgiving James and I ventured up to Albion, Indiana to celebrate with the Cole family.  We all enjoyed a delicious meal.  Since we were experiencing abnormally warm weather, everyone went outside and played some football and other activities.  We then took family pictures since everyone in the family was there.

     The next day the weather turned into the November most people from Indiana know (and hate!).  It was freezing!  Some of us went to Uncle Pat's house to visit and look at all of his animals.  The younger children stayed inside because it was too cold for little ones to be outside.  The ones who stayed outside had a lot of fun petting animals.  Everyone was also granted the opportunity to ride a horse!  That evening we ate a farewell dinner at Red Robin to say goodbye to Jim's brother, Joe and his family.

     I went to my maternal grandparents on Friday evening because we were going to celebrate Thanksgiving with my side on Saturday.  I really wanted to cook a turkey because I have never cooked one before.  Grandma and I had a lot of fun getting it ready.  The next day everyone came over and had fun.

     A milestone also happened on that Saturday.  Katherine discovered how much fun crawling can be!!  She has been scooting for a while, but she finally discovered she can move towards something she wants!  Unfortunately, her favorite things to go for are cords!  Wherever we go we have to make sure cords are out of reach for her.  She easily gets up on her knees like she's been doing it all along.  Jubilee is also very close to crawling; she just hasn't figured out how to go forward.  She is great at going backwards!  It is officially time to baby-proof our home!

    

Jubilee saying Dada

Here is Jubilee saying Dada.  Her vocabulary now includes, "mama", "dada", and "baba".

Katie scooting

This is Katie scooting for the first time!  I don't know why she has an affinity for shoes, maybe it's a prediction for the future? 

Colts Game

     I mentioned a few weeks ago that James and I were getting Christmas presents early this year.  Jim's Christmas present included tickets to a Colts game!  Last year our team was not exactly good, but our new quarterback (Andrew Luck) has been showing some potential.  James and I bought our tickets early in October, and it's a good thing we did.  This game was the first game this season where the tickets were sold out!  My mom and her friend, Marcia watched the girls at our apartment for us.  We are so thankful that we were able to go!  We had a great time on our date, and the Colts won!  It was very nice, and James was very excited!  It was the first time either one of us had been to a professional football game!

Us! = )

Happy Halloween

Trunk or Treat

     This past Saturday my side of the family gathered at a church to participate in "Trunk or Treating".  It was much colder than we would have liked it to be, but everyone was prepared for the coldness!  My mother and I arrived before everyone else, so we went inside the church to wait.  We were able to get some pictures of the girls in their costumes!  We had them go as "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" from The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss.  It was one of my favorite books when I was a child.  Katie was Thing 1, and Jubilee was Thing 2.  We based it off of their birth order.  We had purchased some hilarious, blue clown wigs.  I was so excited to see them with them on!  At one point we had both girls on the floor, and they were both rocking back and forth on their knees.  It seemed like we almost had a crowd of people stopping and looking/laughing at them.

Jubilee (Left). Katie (Right).

     My grandparents arrived with Madelynn, and then my brother arrived.  Madelynn's costume was an angel.  She loved seeing the girls, and she loves to help take care of them.  She likes to make sure everything is fair.  If Katie/Jubilee has a toy, then the other one has to as well.  We went outside so Madelynn could participate in the activities.  She spent a lot of time in a bouncy house, but her FAVORITE thing was riding a pony!  For the past few months she has been fascinated with "riding the horsie" on someone's back.  This person usually ends up being me or my brother.  When Matt (my brother) asked her if she wanted to ride a pony, she was ecstatic!  She kept saying, "I'm going to ride a PON-AY" (She pronounced it like a little French girl).  She was all smiles while doing it! 

Madelynn riding the "Pon-ay"

    

New Camera Lens

     James and I have realized that we have reached the age where Christmas gifts don't have to come exactly on Christmas.  A prime example of this is my "Christmas gift" of a new camera lens (50mm).  I have wanted this lens for some time.  I have seen pictures taken from this lens, and I have LOVED them.  For the common person to understand, this lens blurs the background easily.  I mentioned to James that I wanted this for Christmas, and then I mentioned to him what I had been planning to get him for Christmas.  I will mention in a few weeks what Jim's present is, but until then I will discuss the lens that arrived today.  As soon as I opened the package, I began snapping away.  I then developed a plan to take the girls outside in an area with trees near our apartment and take pictures.  We ventured out, and I started taking picture after picture.  We had a lot of fun!  I really enjoyed looking at them, but there are a few things you can't tell from these adorable pictures:

1. Katie had just woke up from a nap, and her right eye was COMPLETELY red.  I suspect that she might have gotten some spit-up in her eye...I had to edit the pictures around her eye.
2. The girls kept trying to eat the leaves on the ground. I would get one leaf out of one of their hands, and then the other girl would be putting something in her mouth. It was pretty comical.

Jubilee (left). Katherine (right).

Katiebug

Jubilee

6-Months-Old

Jubilee Faith (left). Katherine Jean (right).

 

     It is official!  Our girls are six-months-old!!  We can't believe that our once little babies are now half way to one year!  In many ways they have changed, but in some ways they are the same.  We had their portraits done yesterday, and I think they turned out well. 


     Katie-bug squirms like there is no tomorrow!  It is hard to hold her because she feels like she is going to wiggle out of your arms.  If you hold her under her armpits, she will proceed to jump up and down until you change positions.  She was the first of the girls to get on her knees and rock back and forth!  She can sit up if she is in the mood, but she just can't sit still for that long!   She also says little "words".  Her first one was "Mama"' however, she hasn't said it since.  She then discovered "Ba", which is her favorite.  Yesterday, she started saying, "Dada".  Katie is still the better eater of the two of them.  Katherine has been affectionately called "Little Jimmy" or "Jimmy Junior".

Katie

      Jubilee cuddles and LOVES to sing!!  She squeals and giggles frequently.  Sometimes she squeals so loudly that I have to double check to make sure she isn't crying.  She is very ticklish around her neck, and it is so cute to see her dimple pop out when she smiles while being tickled.  When we get in the car, Jubilee will start singing, "AHHHH" until I turn on music.  Jubilee still loves to cuddle, but she can still get very active.   When she gets going in the jumper-seat, she can go insanely fast!!!  She can also get on her knees and rock back and forth.  She can sit better than Katie because she will stay in one position longer.  Jubilee can also say, "Ba", but she prefers to vocalize through song. Jubilee is still the sleeper of the two of them.   Jubilee has been lovingly known as "Little Holly with less hair".

Jubilee

Pumpkin Patch

     Even before I had children, I have had grandiose expectations about "family traditions".  My family has always been big on traditions, and I've always wanted to start some of my own.  One of these traditions included going to a pumpkin patch around Halloween.  In my head I had this perfect image of us walking to a little patch where we would get the girls out of the stroller and we would get some pictures of the girls smiling by pumpkins.  We would then pick out two perfect baby pumpkins and take them home with us.  What really happened was nowhere near close to my dream, but we still had fun making the memory.

     After experiencing some rain earlier this week, James and I decided to go ahead and go because we weren't for sure when the opportunity would come again because of Jim's work schedule.  When we arrived we tried to quickly get the stroller together.  In the process of hurrying, I didn't notice a yellow jacket on the car door.  I shut the door and quickly felt a stinging sensation on my left middle finger, which definitely caused me to cry out!  I saw the pesky insect fly away fine.  Since I have NEVER been stung by anything, I was a little shocked.  It hurt, but we were determined to have fun!

     In my head I had envisioned us being able to simply walk up and pick out some pumpkins.  This pumpkin patch required a hay ride, and the line for it was pretty long.  We hurried to the line.  After about twenty minutes in line, we were finally to the front.  We looked around and saw everyone getting out tickets.  We didn't have any tickets!  We were planning on paying in cash.  So Jubilee and I set off to find a place to buy tickets, while Katie and James went back to the end of the line.

     With our tickets in hand, we got on the hayride.  James and I looked down and saw nothing but mud from the previous day's rain.  The tractor that drove us was older than James and I.  It teetered and tottered, and James and I were pretty nervous.  Once we got to the area with pumpkins, we couldn't find ANY baby pumpkins.  Since both of us had a baby to carry, there was NO way either one of us could carry one big pumpkin.  We walked around hopeful to find one baby pumpkin.  However, after walking around for a while, we decided to get some pictures of the girls with a pumpkin and purchase pumpkins at a grocery store!

     We walked back to the spot where the tractor would take us back to the main area.  This driver was dressed like a scarecrow, and he had a younger tractor.  We felt much more safe on the way back.  Once we arrived back, we decided to walk around because there was a little festival going on.  We found a tree that had numerous baby pumpkins on them; however, they weren't for sale.  James and I had a lot of fun chit-chatting while walking around.  The girls did get very smiley observing everything else going on. 

     Once we left we went to Firehouse Subs, which is our favorite sandwich places.  We then went to Meijer and purchased two baby pumpkins.  Those pumpkins made an appearance in the girl's 6-month-portraits.  Even though the pumpkin patch did not go as planned, it will be fun to tell the girls about later on! My finger didn't swell up too badly, and the girls had their first hay-ride!!!  Here are some picture of our fun day; if you click on them, they will become larger:

Tree of baby pumpkins

Girls in the stroller.  Jubilee in the back. Katherine in front.

Katie bug

Jubilee playing

Trying to get a decent shot.lol. Jubilee (left). Katie (right).

Mommy and Jubilee

    

Senior Picture

     Here is my Senior Nursing Portrait.  This portrait will be the one the State Board of Nursing will receive when I apply for my license!  This is the traditional picture of nurses where you see them wearing the "nurses cap".  The cap has gone out of style, and now we just wear white button-up shirts, thank goodness.  I'm so glad to have this picture!  It was definitely worth the wait!!!  For our pinning ceremony, we have to submit a baby picture of ourselves.  I think this is the picture of me that I'm going to choose.  This is me at 3-months-old!!!  I had A LOT of hair!!!  I've come a long way since then!!

Baby Dedication

    "Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'"-Matthew 19:14
 
  On September 9th James and I had the girls dedicated at our church.  We both felt that it was important to make a committment publicly to promise to have the girls raised in a home where Christ was the center.  It meant the world to us that family was able to join and support us.  During the ceremony James and I both re-affirmed our belief that Jesus is Lord and renewed our wedding vows.  One of the best gifts James and I can give the girls is a healthy marriage to set an example for them, which is why we love the way our Pastor does baby dedications.  Following the ceremony our Pastor gave a very moving speech on marriage and divorce.  When we picked up the girls, we discovered that the church had given us some very generous gifts.  The girls each received hand-knit outfits and a children's Bible with their names in them.  We are very blessed to have a great support system.  Following church we all went out to eat and had a great time in fellowship with each other.

I am holding Katherine.  James is holding Jubilee.

Last Semester

     Last week was the beginning of my final semester in Nursing School, and it was LONG!  It was exhausting.  It was so tiring because we had to meet every single day to have 4-6 hour lectures.  However, I do feel that I learned a lot.  I really enjoy my teachers this semester.  All of them seem genuinely excited for us graduating!   

     On the day before school started my grandpa's family had a reunion in Hartford City.  Since James had to work, my mom and I drove together to get there.  We had a great time, and the girls received a lot of attention!  My Great-Great-Aunt Ruby brought a picture of her mother when she was a baby with her fraternal TWIN sister.  My Great-Grandma on my grandmother's side was also a fraternal twin.  I guess I didn't stand a chance!  It was nice to be able to relax the day before school started.  When we got home, Jubilee rolled over completely onto her stomach for the first time!  I was so happy to be there.  If she had waited one more day, I probably would have missed it! 

Jubilee rolled over for the first time! Aug. 19, 2012

     I figured that I would update about my Pinterest adventures.  I have not been able to attempt any of the crafts; however, I have been doing some of the recipes.  They have included pulled pork, pasta, chicken (a lot of chicken recipes!!), and pies. Our favorites have included a butterfinger pie, a yum-yum sauce recipe from Japanese Steakhouses, and a crockpot chicken salsa concoction. My brother loved the butterfinger pie so much that he requested it for his birthday!  James has certainly been enjoying my culinary endeavors.

Holding Hands

     James and I have observed that the girls love to hold hands.  Yes, all babies love grasping.  Yes, all babies love to hold someone's hand.  However, two babies doing it together is pretty priceless!!!  When the girls slept in the same crib, they would always hold hands while sleeping.  When I put them on the floor next to each other, they hold hands.  It is a very special feeling to watch siblings hold hands, especially in their sleep.  It is very sweet.  I'm hoping they continue to hold hands as they grow up together.  I can't take enough pictures of it.  Here are two pictures of them holding/keeping their hands close to each other.

Katherine (left). Jubilee (right).

Rolling Over

     On Monday the girls turned four-months-old!  The next day Katie rolled completely over from her back to her stomach.  She had been trying very hard to do it for a while, but she just hadn't figured it out.  First she couldn't get her legs over, and then she couldn't figure out how to un-tuck her arm.  She finally put it all together yesterday.  I put her on her playmat, and then I walked away for a minute.  I came back in the room, and she was off the mat on her stomach!  Since she has figured out how to do this neat trick, she can't stop doing it.  She's constantly rolling over.  Here is a picture of her right after she rolled over!

     Jubilee has been slowly attempting to try to roll over onto her belly, but she's just not as interested.  In general Jubilee is a very content baby.  She is more interested in fine motor skills.  She's much more interested in looking and grabbing her hands.  She also loves grasping!  Her favorite thing to grasp is my hair!!!   Jubilee is still the better sleeper of the two.  She loves sleeping!

       Here are two videos of the girls!  The first one is Katie slowly rolling over; she's much quicker now!  The background noise is Sunny barking at workers working on our apartment building.  The second one is Jubilee rolling over from her stomach to her back!






  
     

First Time Swimming

     Today James only had a half day at work!  When he got home, we discussed what we wanted to do for the rest of the day.  We both wanted to go swimming, and we thought it was the perfect time to have the girls go swimming for the first time!  After being completely drenched in sunscreen and wearing Granny's sunbonnets, we deemed the girls safe for the hot sun!  The water was so warm; it closely resembled a bath!  Both of the girls appeared to enjoy the water.  They seemed so relaxed.  We kept them in for about twenty minutes, and then we decided that they had probably had their fill.  It was a great first experience for the girls!

Katie (left). Jubilee (right).

3-months-old



Jubilee on top.  Katherine on bottom.

     The girls are three-months old!  They are now able to sit in Bumbo seats.  Both of them desire to be held sitting up, not laying down.  They sleep through the night.  Both are very happy and smile all of the time.  I couldn't ask for better behaved babies.  The day before we left for Branson, the girls had their three-month portraits taken.  This one is my favorite of the bunch!

Pinterest

     For several weeks now I have observed numerous of my friends on Facebook participating in "Pinterest".  Everytime I would see one show up in my feed, I would roll my eyes and sigh.  I thought that Pinterest looked silly.  It seemed that many people were merely posting pictures of random stuff/food.  Earlier this week I decided to check it out to see what all of the hype was about.  I quickly observed that the website was cool!   In one week I have found several homemade crafts, decorations, party ideas, and recipes.  I have always wanted to be considered "crafty", but I usually end up following the instructions without any creativity.  This website was MADE for people like me.  It has shown me step-by-step how to do these things. I'm hoping to get one craft/recipe done a month, providing I keep finding things to do. 

     While researching some dessert recipes, I came across a homemade blueberry cupcake recipe.  The pictures made it look delicious!  I decided I really wanted to try it out.  I also decided to cheat a little bit.  Since I do have two three-month-old babies, time is of the essence.  I opted to use Classic White cupcake mix with blueberries in it instead of making it homemade.  However, I did make the cream cheese blueberry icing homemade.  The recipe called for free-dried blueberries, which I could not find.  I found regular frozen blueberries, and I tried to get as much of the juice out of it as possible.  The icing still was a little runny, but I didn't want to add any more Confectioner's sugar because of the taste.  These cupcakes turned into some of the best cupcakes I have ever made!  The cupcake tasted amazing without any icing at all; it was so moist!  The icing also turned out delicious, and really accentuated the cupcake!

First Fourth of July

     We spent the Fourth of July in Muncie with family.  James had to work the morning of the fourth, so we had to wait until mid-afternoon to head up there.  Once we arrived, Susan and I went to the local pool to meet with Kristen and the Gnaps.  The girls stayed with James, Papaw, and Aaron.  The pool felt so nice.  Mackenzie had a lot of fun jumping off of the high dive!

     Everyone then gathered at Susan and Dennis' house for dinner.  All of us came together to get this delicious dinner accomplished.  I made deviled eggs and a pie.  Kelly made some delicious bruschetta.  The main course was bratwursts and hot dogs.  We had a lot of fun eating outside and chatting.  James and I decided not to stay for fireworks because he had to go back to work very early in the morning.  We were able to see fireworks on the drive home.

The girls with Papaw. Jubilee (left). Katherine (right).

The Year of "Two"

     On  Monday James and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary!  We realized that like our anniversary, many things have revolved around the number "two" this year. The most obvious being that we had two babies this year!  However, there are less obvious things as well.  James and I are both twenty-two.  Sunny turned two in May.  We moved into a two bedroom apartment.  Last but not least, the year has double the number of twos (2012)!  I am sure I have forgotten something, but we think it is interesting how many things have encompassed the number two with us this year.

     The day did not start off well.  James and I had driven Susan and Dennis' car to Branson this year.  On Monday I needed to  pick up the girl's three-month portraits from Target, and I needed to pick Sunny up from Muncie.  I decided to get the portraits first because I didn't want to leave Sunny in the hot car because it was really hot that day.  On my way there, I got in my first car accident.  Following everything getting cleared up with that, Susan and I went to lunch. 

     For dinner all of the Londt/Gnap family members met at Red Robin for dinner!  James purchased some beautiful earrings for the occasion (another two!).  We enjoyed dinner, and we had a great time!  James and I are so blessed with everything that has happened in these two years. 

Branson

      Last week the Cole family, the maternal side of Jim's family, vacationed to Branson, Missouri. The last time James and I had been there was our Honeymoon; many things have changed since then! James and I had a great time visiting with everyone. We had the perfect blend of activities and relaxation.

      While we were there, it was extremely hot and humid. The family participated in many of the anticipated traditions that encompass the Branson trip. We all went to Silver Dollar City. James and I had paid for two day passes, but we only went for a day and a half. We both felt that it was too hot for the girls to be out two complete days in a row. James and I bought the girls little parisols that have their names on them. We also spent one day on a boat that the Gnaps had rented for the day. James displayed some courage by jumping off of a small cliff that I would have been too terrified to even attempt to climb!  The girls seemed to sleep right through their first experience on a boat; the rocking of the waves seemed to relax them.  We also had another Old Time picture done.  Katherine slept the entire way through it, and Jubilee was wide awake.  The family also went to play putt-putt; James and I had a lot of fun doing that because we had never done that together before.  We also went to Coldstone Creamery, which is my favorite ice cream place.  I always get "Cookie Doughnt You Want Some"; in my head I always think, "YES!!!!"  We had a great time with all of Jim's family.

     Jubilee had a first experience while we were there!  On Saturday, the 30th, she rolled over for the first time!  She was crying, and I was trying to experiment with ways to soothe her.  I put her on her belly and tucked her arms in.  She did not enjoy that position at all and rolled over.  I let out a little scream, and she looked at me with an expression that said, "What just happened!?".  She did it in front of almost the entire family, so it was nice to have family surrounding her as she accomplished it.  I don't know if she will do it again anytime soon because I typically do not put Jubilee on her stomach because she doesn't like it. Katie rolled over today for the first time.  She was also upset, and I wanted to see if it would work with her.  Sure enough she rolled right over.  They are growing up so quickly!   

Londt Family at Silver Dollar City

11 Weeks Old

Katherine Jean

Jubilee Faith