So long 2010!

Scott and I close 2010 with a massive amount of love for our children, hope for what the future will bring, complete exhaustion from almost 5 months of twin insanity and a huge desire that 2011 will be our best year yet!

In many ways, 2010 came and went in a blur. It was full of many highs and a few lows. I doubt many things in my life will top these events this year: the day that I found out we were having twins (and then had to tell my dear husband, over the phone, the news), the fact that we had an uneventful twin pregnancy which ended in me being induced at almost 38 weeks, the feeling of overwhelming love while looking into 2 sets of eyes while holding our infant newborns together in the hospital, the outpouring of support from family, friends and strangers, watching my husband hold two babies in his arms while caring to a need of one of the older boys & the closeness and love that Sam and Ben have developed as brothers in the past few months. I have never in my life felt such devotion and love for a handful of people. They are my EVERYTHING and I wouldn’t change a single moment that I’ve spent with each of them this year. We are the luckiest parents alive to be on this journey with four amazing and healthy children…and I cannot, cannot wait to see what the future holds for each of them.

But if I’m completely honest, I also think 2010 was our hardest year as a couple. I’m very proud that we’ve been able to hold our household and family together while we sometimes struggled to care for the needs of each of our children. Our relationship has definitely taken a backseat so that we could do what was best for our children. Some days our only conversations are in a whisper during 3am feedings. Rarely do we get through an adult dinner without an interruption from a child. But through it all, we’ve still been able to hold onto our deep love for each other. Scott is an amazing father (and people tell me that every day). I cannot imagine having four children without someone so devoted to his family. I never have to ask him to get a crying baby, kick a soccer ball for our older boys or take out the trash. He hasn’t had a true day off in 7+ months and you rarely hear him complain about it. He’s without question, the most amazing and encouraging person I have ever met! If I could have a purely selfish wish for 2011, it’s that Scott and I get a little alone time to reconnect as a couple, that we get a few days of sleeping through the night without interruption and that we get to eat a completely decadent meal that lasts for hours!

So, now I say goodbye to an emotional 2010. May 2011 bring many amazing memories and be The Sheehan Six’s BEST YEAR EVER!

A shared love of Toy Story 3

Question: How many kids can fit in a bathtub at once?

Answer: Four...but just barely!

Asleep in the Bed

Sam and Ben are truly enjoying being brothers right now.  Lately we’ve been letting them go to bed at the same time.  They play for a while and then end up crawling into Ben’s bed together to sleep (or Sam in Ben’s bed and Ben on the floor…as was the case last night).  It’s always a fun part of the night when we get to go in and see where they landed before their eyes shut for the night.

There's a new chunky monkey in town!

Scott and I took the babies to their 4 month appointment this morning. They are both growing nicely, and Graham has now surpassed Grace in both height and weight. Their stats are:

Grace
Height: 2’ 0.5” (50%)
Weight: 14lbs, 15oz (71%)
Head circumference: 16.1” (40%)

Graham
Height: 2’ 1.5” (64%)
Weight: 15lbs, 5oz (50%)
Head circumference: 16.5” (33%)

Hurricane Sheehan

Before

After

Make sure you look at the "after" picture closely.  There are many hilarious things, but my personal favorites are:

1.) Ben (the stormtrooper) hanging out next to Grace in the Bumbo.  It's hands down the best part of this picture and I can't help but laugh out loud when looking at him with that big mask on.
2.) Sam performing for his "audience" in the one clean portion of the floor.
3.) Grace trying hard to not make eye contact with her two insane older brothers.

Awww...holiday school breaks...this is how we make it through!

Merry Christmas x 4

Santa...We Caught You!

Sam and Ben were beyond excited for Santa to come tonight.  Before bed, they left homemade sugar cookies for Santa & lots of carrots for the reindeer.

Scott and I stayed up LATE to make sure we captured this photo of Santa for the kids.  Judging by the stack of presents...Sam, Ben, Grace & Graham must have been extra good this year.

Santa even left a hand written note.  We hope to see you next year, Santa!

Twas The Night Before Christmas

Scott always reads ‘Twas the night before Christmas (Texas style and regular) on Christmas Eve.  It was fun to share this tradition with so many kiddos this year. 

A Lively Holiday Lunch

We had the kind of lunch you always hear about with big families, loud and festive!  My brother and his family came over for the morning as did my grandmother, Aunt Deta, Uncle Mike, Aunt Delia and my parents.  We had 16 people in a very small space for close to an hour while we ate.  Afterwards, we quickly booted the kids outside to run off some steam.  It was great and exactly what the holiday is all about…being with family.  What a great start to an intense holiday weekend.

Nutcracker Time!

Sam attended his 1^st Nutcracker yesterday afternoon.  We went with some good friends and had a wonderful time.  Early on (about 20 minutes into the show), I thought we were going to have problems when Sam leaned over to me and said, “Mom, when we get home can I watch football?  I really like football.”  This comment was mostly because we had to leave our house during the middle of the Cowboys game.  But once I reassured him that he could indeed catch up on football after the completion of the Nutcracker, he watched every move across the stage (Of course, he asked me to email Scott for the score at the intermission).  He loved the first half with the battle scenes and luckily I decided to get binoculars at intermission as I don’t know if he would have lasted through the 2^nd part without the distraction of the lenses.  Overall, it was a great afternoon and definitely the start of a family tradition!

And for those of you that know me well, Sam does not like people dressed up in costumes anymore than I do.  Caroline talked him into getting his picture made with one of the rats (Ally refused) but he wasn’t happy about it.

Ben's Two Year Check-Up

My Type A personality has taken a backseat since the twins arrived. It’s mostly seen in being on time and remembering important appointments. TWICE I missed Ben’s 2-year-old appointment. FINALLY, the 3rd time was the charm and we made it on Tuesday...3 months after his original appointment was scheduled

Here are his stats:

Height: 3’ (75%)
Weight : 29 lbs (50%)
Head: 20.24” (95%)

Let the Games Begin!

I don't know if I should be encouraging competition already between the boys, but in hopes of surviving the next few weeks without MDO I bought a classic game for the boys to play - Hungry, Hungry Hippo.  They've had a blast playing all day.  Sam, of course, counts the balls at the end of each game with the hopes that he's chomped up the most balls but surprisingly gives Ben a high five whenever they tie.  So, as Sam says at the beginning of each game – Ready, Set, Go!

One Brave Santa

This picture cracks me up for a few reasons (I’ll go left to right):

1.) Sam – His face tells the whole story…this kid LOVES Christmas! He never forgets to update the advent calendar, he always knows exactly how many days until Christmas and he speaks to car (our elf on a shelf) as though he can relay any message to Santa. In case you wanted to know what he asked Santa for…Star Wars stuff (shocker!).

2.) Grace - Seriously, the poor girl always gets a raw deal during pictures. I was too worried about what to do with her dress, that I never realized that she was slouched so much on Santa’s lap. But I love Sam’s protective hand on her…that’s pretty true to form.

3.) Graham – That posture! I think it’s adorable that all the boys have on matching shirts and even as the 3rd boy, he still finds a way to stand out.

4.) Ben – The expression on his face is 100% Ben. That’s his “I’m not sure about this situation” face and we see it a lot. The only thing that kept him from completely freaking out is the candy cane in his hand. Thank goodness for candy!

5.) Santa – Sweet, sweet Santa. His eyes got wide when he saw us coming, but he was a trooper through it all.

6.) Sandra (our amazing nanny) – She’s not pictured but she’s the ONLY reason we got there dressed and with smiles on our faces.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Stocking Fun

For as long as I can remember, the Lindsey side of my family has gotten together at the beginning of December to celebrate the holidays. There are so many of us (and we continue to grow) that we do stocking stuffers for everyone and then draw names of all the adults for a big gift exchange. It’s always a lot of fun. This year we had to miss out on the festivities.

With all four kiddos at home this week because of illnesses, I decided to let them open their stockings from the Lindsey gang. I don’t think there was a single item that they didn’t love. Thank you to the Lindsey and Rogillio families for starting this holiday season off with a bang.

Happy Holidays!

Exersaucer Fun

One of these kids doesn't belong in the exersaucer...but we're not going to tell him that.

Can Batman and Darth Vader be Friends?

Sam and Ben seem to think so!

Playtime!

The babies are becoming so animated!  They are starting to play with toys and engage their surroundings.  Grace is a little under the weather right now, but you can see Graham enjoying the exersaucer in the playroom.  He’s so alert these days and will flirt all day with Grace if she will tolerate him. 

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas!

Oh Christmas Tree

This morning we loaded up the gang and headed out to get our live Christmas tree at a nursery near our house. This is one of our favorite holiday traditions! All the kids were amazingly calm and we spent almost an hour finding the perfect tree. As the kiddos nap this afternoon, we’ll put the lights on so it will be ready for little hands to decorate it tonight. Happy Holidays!

On a separate note, these pictures made me smile as it captures how insane it is to photograph others when you have a child strapped to your stomach.

Growing Babies!