Yankee Doodle Dandies...

We had a great 4th! It was fairly uneventful which made it relaxing and enjoyable. My sister, brother-in-law, and furry nephew came to town and we cooked out, spent time in the pool, played a few rounds of corn-hole, and grilled a few meals for good 4th of July measure.

My little firecrackers did their job of eating, sleeping, getting in a few rounds of tummy time, and entertaining us with their giggles. In new mom fashion, I can't stop dressing them up and taking photos of them. It amazes me how quickly they grow. I just want to remember every moment and take note of each stage. It seems they are different every single day, so I am doing my fair share of documentation. I'm sure our families think I'm crazy since their phones blow up with new photos each day. I've given them the "opt out" option. :)

Some people thought we might stop taking photos of the dogs once the babies got here...no such luck! ;)

I just die over these feet!

My Yankee Doodle Sweethearts

I could eat her up.

They wanted to play poolside, too!

Maggie was keeping watch on the porch :) (Or chillin' in the shade, too)

 We need more 4 day weekends in our life. Thanks to all who came and played! 

Double Trouble

We're still hanging in there! We've got 2 little people growing like weeds, we've gotten 8 nights of at least 7 hours of straight sleep (baby ballers!!), we've laughed uncontrollably at the little Mr. who tooted so loud he woke himself up and looked around like he had been shot. You did it yourself, dude!! It startled me, too! I've stood in my bedroom and been brought to tears when a tired little princess went from laying her head on my shoulder to lifting her head and staring me straight in the face as I sang to her. 

My heart is so full of love for them that it hurts a little bit. I just thank God for being so good and giving us these beautiful gifts. 

We've got some colic hanging out around here and it is not fun. But I am really hopeful that it will be gone soon and we will be back to smiles and coos, toots and stretching. :) (The stretching is the absolutely cutest! They kill me.)

Buddies! They got dressed up to go meet all of their friends. 

Ms. Lauren got married! They were so excited for her wedding day and were certain their invitation must have been lost in the mail. All dressed up and nowhere to go. ;)

The little munchkins are 2 months old now! I just can't believe it. We're getting so strong with our necks and the smiles are coming! 

I can't get enough of this pretty ballerina. She coos and talks while she sleeps and I just sit and listen to her. 

My little man is so sweet. He loves to curl up and sleep on your chest/shoulder. He lets his sister do the talking for now, but I think it's only a matter of time before he'll have something to say. :) He's wearing his little baseball outfit that my mother in law made when Dave was a baby. Precious!

 We celebrated Dave's first Father's Day this weekend and it was wonderful! I'm so thankful for him, so thankful for these babies, and excited for what we have to look forward to. 

For now, I'm looking forward to a good week. I'm praying for these babies. What a privilege! 

XOXO, Tiffany

My New Name...

I remember when I first got married and David and I were on our honeymoon. We got to our room and there was a bottle of champagne and a welcome note addressed to "Mr. and Mrs. Mendenhall". I remember thinking, "This is so crazy! I can't believe we're married!" And it took me quite some time to get used to having a new name. Not because I didn't want a new name...I couldn't be more excited to share his name! It was more about the significance of the change and the magnitude of what it meant. 

That couldn't be more true as I welcome my new name. One I have longed for for as long as I can remember. A name I have always said I was born to bear. A name I am so proud of because of those that gave it to me...Mother. 

It's always my privilege and honor to celebrate my mom, my Nana, my mother in law, my best friends, and all of the moms I know. Their job is the hardest that there is, and I know many wonderful mothers. They take their job of raising wise, responsible, God fearing, respectable, fun-loving children seriously and they do a fine job of it. I have learned much from them and my mom is at the top of that list. I'm grateful for her example. 

Praise God for this opportunity to be a mother. Thank you for my dear P&C who have given me the most important name of all. 

My beautiful mother, my sister- Kristen, Caroline, Parker, me, and my seet Nana

The Fullness of Grace...

"From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another" ~ John 1:16

April 12, 2013

Parker Edward Mendenhall ~ 9:07am ~ 18 1/4 inches ~ 4.13 lbs

Caroline Sue Mendenhall ~ 9:08am ~ 17 3/4 inches ~ 4.13 lbs

Six and a half years ago, that verse adorned the top of our wedding invitation. We were thrilled with anticipation of one of the best days of our lives- up to that point. God had blessed us with many things~ one of the richest was each other. Since that day in January of 2007 we have most certainly received many blessings, but none more precious than those that arrived on April 12, 2013.

We are overcome with love for these babies. Humbled by the fact that God chose us to love them, take care of them, discipline them, teach them, play with them, and show them and tell them of the Love of Christ so that they will come to know Him. It's amazing to see the fullness of His grace and goodness in the face of our precious Parker and Caroline. Two perfect little loves that were only a dream and the source of many prayers just one year ago. 

God is so good!

A very proud dad moments after they were born.

Holding my darling Caroline for the first time. 

Parker was sent to NICU within about 30 minutes of his birth. I didn't get to see him until around 5:00pm that evening. Unfortunately, I didn't get to hold him, but was overcome with tears when I was rubbing his hand and he grabbed hold of my finger. My precious little man!

Beautiful baby girl.

The most wonderful day! Parker was such a fighter and made some quick progress which allowed us to hold him! Pretty sure I just sat there and cried. Bless that nurse that first said the magic words, "Do you want to hold him?" That baby couldn't get into my arms fast enough! Dave kept telling him we were never going to put him down.

It was so hard to leave him because here we were loving on Miss Caroline 24/7 and we had Parker in the NICU. We knew we had a lot of time to make up with him once he got his get out of jail card!

We spent time telling Parker about his sister, how loved he is, praying over him, telling him about his Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, and all of his friends. 

Every moment has been precious but this certainly ranks at the top. This wonderful boy who is such a fighter was holding my hand and Dave rubbed down his arm and to his hand. When he got to his hand, Parker clutched onto his fingers so tight. I hope he knows we will always be there for him. I literally couldn't love him more. 

The most wonderful day was when we got to bring Parker home to join his sister! He spent 11 days in the NICU before we could be our full family of four. That's the main reason I haven't blogged. We weren't complete. Once Parker came home, all was right.

I would love to know what they thought when they were first reunited! I can't wait to see their relationship as they grow. 

My sweet baby boy and girl, how we have prayed for you. We have waited for this day for so long. We are overcome with love for you and so thankful that we get to be your parents. We hope you always feel loved and know the depth of God's love for you. You are the fullness of His grace in our lives. You are the answer to our prayers. God revealed Himself in the miracle of your lives and we are forever grateful. We love you to the moon and back our precious Parker and our sweet Caroline. 

Baseball, Blood Pressure, and Baby Basics.

After you finish reading this post I want you to leave a comment telling me, on a scale of 1-10, (1 being absolutely no cooler and 10 being, "You are such a joke, my life is the bomb.com compared to yours!") how much cooler than me you are based on my life activities over the last 10 days. 

But, before you get too excited, you must know that I have plans to watch the results show of Dancing With the Stars, serve a riveting baked chicken dish for dinner, and take my blood pressure tonight. So there's that...

Be careful...your envy is showing. :)

In the hustle and bustle of the month I haven't even mentioned baseball. That is so unlike me. This guy left for Spring Training almost a month ago. 

Source

Pretty soon, camp will break, he'll have his assignment for the season, and it will be time to suit my dad up in his straight jacket for the next 6 months. I'm excited for him and what this season holds but I'm also so bummed he won't get to meet his niece and nephew for several months. We'll have lots of Skype dates with Uncle T! Speaking of Uncle T...he's contributing to a blog called thecupcheck.com which was recently written up in the Wall Street journal. Big time, Uncle T! It's really funny and gives insight into the world of minor league baseball.

Meanwhile, back in Texas we've been enjoying baseball of our own. We've had some beautiful Texas evenings and enjoyed watching the Longhorns. Last weekend Texas played Tech so we were a house divided. Texas squeaked out the series 2-1.

And because I'm 95 (or pregnant with twins...) my blood pressure has been fairly high as of late. I've been flirting with "nervous" numbers so I have to take it at home all the time. If it gets higher than a certain number I have to call my doctor. Well, last Sunday we were there. It was neato. I took my blood pressure at home, at the grocery store, then about 18 times at CVS, then "officially" with the pharmacist at Walgreens - just to be sure the other 3 places' machines weren't crazy. 

The best part is that the photo below was taken when one of my best friends happened to text me at this very moment and said, "Just checking in! How's your blood pressure?" Haha. We are so cool. Next thing we know we'll be talking about insurance at our next dinner party. 

Oh...wait...that's already happened.  

Finally, we attended our Baby Basics class last week and it was fairly hilarious. Dave has never changed a diaper in his 33 years of life. How is that even possible? So he got to diaper and dress our baby. Afterwards he said, "This is a piece of cake." I took the opportunity to praise him for his mad skills and then gently reminded him that the baby hadn't pooped or peed and didn't move a single muscle while he contorted her arm through that tiny onesie. Not to mention the lack of head support while dressing her. But hey, those are just details. With two little ones coming in less than 4 weeks...yes, you read that right...we've got plenty of practice heading our way!!

Oh, and the beard...someone is a Disciple in our Easter drama at church. He's been instructed to grow his beard to be more realistic. You can bet your bottom dollar I'll take pictures!

Happy Tuesday, friends!

"Life is What Happens When You're Busy Making Other Plans..." ~ John Lennon

We have been busy-busy attempting to prepare for these two wee-ones to make their big debut. I've been reading blog posts on what to pack in my hospital bag and theirs, it dawned on me I should order baby books, and I was (thankfully) "reminded" that we need a pediatrician. Oh, and their nursery isn't remotely close to done. This wouldn't normally be an issue at 32 weeks but my doctor likes to remind me that twins tend to come whenever they're good and ready. Which, statistically, could be any ol' day. I like to think mine are slow cookin' and I've still got some time. Eeek!!

I'm doing my best to be as prepared as one can be, but like John Lennon once said, "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans!" Here is a little bit of our life lately...

I turned 32. Mom and I decided a trip to the spa for a completely gratuitous pedicure was in order. It was one of those spoiling moments when you realize just how much you're spending for a pedicure but you don't care because it's more luxurious than going to a place called "Great Nail". Anytime you can get a pedicure, in a robe, while drinking citrus water out of wine glasses, while eating dark chocolate covered pomegranates  and leave with your very own "vegan" polish because they open a new bottle each time, you can consider that a win. You can also expect to see me back at "Great Nail" for my next treat. :)

Rookie had a sleepover. Mom and dad skipped town so we dog-sat. It's nice to know his friends feel right at home! 

I have ZERO trouble finding darling clothes for Caroline and I always feel so guilty because I am never as tempted to buy-buy-buy for Parker. And then there were these...are you kidding me with this cuteness? It's a given that he will need these. 

Our weekend was full of surprises. Not the least of which was finding out we have to get a new car. We did our "trial run" with the car seats only to find out my seat had to be pushed up so far that my stomach was touching the steering wheel. My feet were so close to the pedals it wasn't safe to drive. Not great news for team Mendenhall. Put it on our tab...

In other news, my co-workers threw me a very sweet baby shower. These cute kisses were on the table. It still hits me at random times that I'm having 2 children. Mind = blown!

I always have my trusty helper when I'm working in the nursery. He tends to get his paws on some of P&C's stuffed animals. He loves to play fetch- it's pretty much our nightly ritual, so the babies' toys throw him off. He doesn't understand why he doesn't get them. I like to think he's saying, "Who in the world are these Parker and Caroline people? Why are we making such a fuss over them? And why do I get the feeling that my world is about to be rocked?" I think he's going to be a great (and pouty) big brother :)

Keeping with the baby theme...we've decided our house in like Noah's Ark. 2 by 2! 

It's absolutely hysterical and it's also completely humbling. The generosity of our friends and family in helping us prepare for P&C has been overwhelming and such a blessing!

And here's the belly as of today- 32 weeks. I officially cannot see my toes, tying my shoes is about to be a task for Dave, painting my toenails is officially the duty of "Great Nail", I walk upstairs and I sound like I just crossed the finish line of a sprint, I need someone or something to brace to get myself off the floor, and you don't even want to know the state of my ankles. Or lack thereof. It's like nothing you've ever seen before. But in all, I'm still feeling well! 

These 2 beautiful babies are still growing and doing their thing on the inside so I am thankful beyond measure. After all, Mama's got plenty of days to see her ankles! These ultrasound pics were taken 2 weeks ago at our 30 wk ultrasound (Parker-L and Caroline- R) and we get to see them again this afternoon! 

Life is good! XOXO