Merry Christmas!!!

Jeremy and I started our holiday celebration with a trip to Sedona. Doctors orders are now to relax as much as possible, so we did just that. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed the scenery and spending some quiet time together. We won't have much of that soon!

On Christmas, we spent time with the entire Rhodes family at Aunt Buffy's house, all 30 of us! It was nice being able to catch up with everyone!

Baby Shower

Last weekend we celebrated a very special event, my baby shower! A family friend, Barbara Dunlap, opened her beautiful home to about 50 close friends and family. It was absolutely wonderful and Jeremy and I were both amazed at everyone's generosity. We are blessed to have so many friends and so much family supporting us and excited about welcoming our children into the world. The gifts were all beautifully displayed and completely filled my living room when we got home. It was so much fun going through and seeing all the baby treasures. Amazingly, with my parents help, everything has found a place. We are now all set for our twins arrival!

2 Trimesters Down- 1 To Go!

I can't believe I'm already in my third trimester. Time is flying! I've been told that the third trimester is when twin pregnancies start to get a little more tricky and risky. I got a little taste of that this week. I had my 27 week appt. with the specialist on Wednesday. The babies are big- Blake is 2.8 lbs (83rd percentile) and Emerson is 2.5 lbs (58th percentile) and they are developing perfectly. The specialist did have a concern with the length of my cervix. At this point, it should be around 3cm. It was measuring between 1.8 and 2.2 cm. So, she had me go to my doctor, who had me go to the hospital. At the hospital they did another ultrasound and a nonstress test (NST). Basically, I was hooked up to a machine to monitor my body and the babies. The babies were moving all around indicating that they were happy as can be and not under any stress. My body also passed the test. I did have one contraction during the monitoring, but they said that was normal at this point. I was VERY happy to hear that I was not going to be put on bed rest, but I do need to start limiting my activity. I will also be going for more testing every week- the joys of pregnancy!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Chance and Ainsley

"Thanks for the new toy, Grammy and Grandpa. We played with it all weekend!"


"When are these babies coming? We're ready to play!"

We spent Thanksgiving at Jeremy's parents house with lots of relatives. Then we drove to my aunt's house to visit for a while. On Friday, Jeremy and I drove to the ranch in Prescott. We enjoyed the cool weather and playing with the dogs. It was great having a relaxing long weekend!

6 months!

Blake Michael- 1.5 lbs

Emerson Hazel- 1.3 lbs

The ever-growing pink and blue wardrobe

It's been a while since I've updated- sorry! We've been busy! Jeremy started a new job- more money and a MUCH better working environment. When we're not working, we've been busy doing little home improvement projects. Our baby furniture was delivered and we finally found a way to arrange the room so all the furniture fits with room left over for a big, comfortable rocker recliner. That should arrive in about 8 wks.

I'm now in what is the "honeymoon period" of pregnancy. This must be the stage moms refer to when they say they love being pregnant. I'm feeling great and LOVING watching and feeling the babies move. I call Jeremy over to look all the time and we just stare at my belly in amazement! My back has starting hurting a bit, but it's nothing a warm bath can't fix:)

As the doctor put it, our growing miracles are picture perfect! They are right along where singleton babies are at this stage with their weight and height. The docs are keeping a close eye on me though. I now see my doctor every two weeks and the specialist every four weeks. I was also just informed that at 32 weeks I will start having to go to the hospital 2X per week for an hour for fetal monitoring. So there will be some weeks where I will have 4 appointments in a week! It's a lot, but I'm glad we're keeping a close eye on the babies.

We also came up with middle names for the twins. Blake's middle name is going to be Michael, which is Jeremy's middle name. We decided on Hazel as Emerson's middle name. Hazel is in honor of Jeremy's grandfather, Peggy's dad.

That's all for now. We wish you all a lovely Thanksgiving surrounded by friends and family!

Danielle's 30th Birthday

Last night we headed to Maggiano's for Danielle's 30th Birthday Party. We had a fun night of catching up with my high school friends, eating, and attempting to solve the murder mystery. Happy Birthday Danielle! Thanks for a fun night!

Welcome Austin Robert Stone!!!

Brian and Stacey welcomed their second son, Austin, into the world on October 27!!! He was a healthy 7lbs. 13oz.

Welcome to the family Austin! We know our kids will have SO much fun playing with you!!!

Congratulations Brian and Stacey!!!

Over halfway there!

Last week Jeremy and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. Part of the celebration was finally deciding on names for our children... no more twin "A" and "B"!!!! So, for all of you who have been waiting (somewhat) patiently, we now can answer- Our son's name is Blake and our daughter's name is Emerson. We are still working on finalizing middle names, but it is so nice to finally be able to refer to them by name! They are growing (as you can see by the picture) and doing great. I'm starting to feel a little bit of wavy movement, but I'm just waiting for those kicks and punches:)

Trip to Atlanta

My nephew, Braden

The time it takes to grow a belly...
Kristyn- 28 Weeks, Me- 19 Weeks, Dad- 60 Years!




expected arrival- Jan 2009!!!

Last week was my fall break and I headed to Atlanta for Kristyn's baby shower and to spend time with family. It was so much fun seeing and shopping for Baby Madeline's room. I've never seen a more girly room in my life...so cute!!! The shower was beautiful and lots of fun!

18 Week Update

Baby "A" Boy- so handsome!

Baby "B" Girl- The cool wig is her placenta:)

This was an eventful baby week! Yesterday I finally decided on and purchased baby furniture. It was a huge relief because I have looked at hundreds of sets and I was starting to get frustrated. But, I found a beautiful set that I know the twins will love. The baby room is going to be painted this weekend and the furniture will arrive in 8-10 weeks. I can't wait to start getting their room together! I was also asked for the first time when I am due. I am glad to know that I finally look pregnant and not just like I have been eating out too much- swimsuit season is officially over for me!

Today I had my 18 wk appointment with the specialist. They checked the heart, brain, limbs, and spine. Both kiddos passed with flying colors. They are healthy as can be. We saw them both kicking and waving their arms and we got some great facial feature shots. Our son is 10 ounces and our daughter is 9 ounces. I will now be seeing my doctor every four weeks and the specialist every four weeks.

Next on our list- Decide on names!

IT'S A BOY AND A GIRL!!!!!!

Sugar and spice and everything nice,

We've been blessed- not once, but twice.

On Saturday we went to take a peek,

To see the parts that became visible this week.

Baby A is a boy! I cannot wait,

To take him on our first mommy/son date.

Trucks and trains, fishing and ball,

Wounds to kiss after all of those falls.

Baby B is a precious little girl!

Dolls and dancing, ribbons and curls.

Daddy is ready to chase the boys away,

Forever at home is where she will stay.

We are so excited and bursting with joy,

At the news our sweet little girl and boy!

A Fun Day

I told my students the BIG news today-
actually I made them work for it!


Sweet messages from a student.


One student's picture of me at the hospital.
I think I'll wear a dress like that!


Another picture of me at the hospital.
I'm glad God is watching over:)

Today was so much fun telling the staff and students at my school. The news spread like wild fire around the school and I had students stopping by my classroom all day. My class was beyond excited. They had the sweetest reactions and LOTS of questions! They are already talking to the babies and wanting to name them!

14 weeks and counting

Well- here it is...my ever growing belly. It's not too big now, but my doctor recently told me that I would be getting very big very quickly. At 14 weeks, I'm sailing into my second trimester. I'm feeling great except for being a little tired in the afternoon. My appetite has definitely come back full force. The babies are now around 3 1/4 to 4 inches, the size of a fist. I will get an exact measurement when I go to the doctor next week.

The past few weeks have been so much fun sharing with all of our family and friends! Next week I will fill in my students and the staff at my school. I'll try to be better about updating the blog sooner this time!