Accessories

Here's what I've picked out for next to our pool:

Will loved to read in our hammock, but after several years of use ours finally rotted and had to be thrown away. Will was so disappointed.  He doesn't know that I ordered this especially for him to enjoy next to the pool. I can't wait to surprise him!

I can't wait to stretch out on one of these and enjoy the sun a good book!

  I chose navy blue cushions instead of the green.  I'm envisioning many pool side meals.

Pool Progress

We've made tons of progress on our pool.  In fact, it's being filled with water right now!  Yikes! I can't believe It's been so long since I've updated. Here's what we've been doing:

 

 

Rebar and Plumbing

 Spraying gunite

An excited and super cute Grant helping me water the gunite. We had to water it twice a day to keep it from curing too fast and becoming brittle.

We have tile, coping, and a deck!

We added a sidewalk to the pool area.  I'm hoping it will help keep both the house and the pool cleaner.

Sundek texture added

Spraying the Pebble Tek surface.  I have to admit that I panicked about the color after seeing them start.  I relaxed after looking at dark bottom pools on Pinterest. :)

Acid washed and ready to fill!

My Other Place

My friend, Sadia, has a blog called "How Do You Do It? Moms of Multiples Tell it Like it Is." It has many contributing authors and a wealth of information about caring for multiples.  When I was pregnant with the twins Sadia asked me if I'd like to add my perspective to the blog.  Her invitation is one of the biggest compliments I have ever received.  She is one of the smartest women I know and is an amazing mother and writer.  This post of hers will show you what I mean. 


My latest post for HDYDI compared having a singleton toddler vs. twin toddlers.  You can read it here.

Enjoy!

Oliver Turns Four!

 

Our sweet Oliver turned four on March 23. To celebrate this special guy we had a party with Oli's favorite people: "The Cousins" and Lucy. He picked out a tie dye cake mix and requested chocolate icing and lots of sprinkles. 

 

 I can't believe how quickly he's growing up! He is the perfect combination of intelligence and creativity and keeps me guessing and laughing. I can't wait to see what this next year has in store for him! 

 

 

His yummy cake

No need for a fork!

We take a family picture on every birthday. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March's 10

W and his self portrait

"No hands!"

Eating his muffin he made in school

Watching his brothers

"Cheeeeeese"

New glasses

Cuddles

Stole mama's Iced Tea

Curing cabin fever

Spring Cleaning

This week I impulsively decided to get rid of all the clothes in my closet that didn't fit. I'd been hanging on to them in hopes of wearing them again after I lost the baby weight I'd gained with the twins.  Well, the weight isn't coming off quickly and seeing all the clothes I'd like to be wearing and can't isn't helping me feel better about myself (this post is all about my struggle with body image.). Basically, I was sick of the drama that getting dressed had become. 

As soon as I started sorting I knew this chore was going to be hard.  I was surprised to find the attachments I had to my clothing. I knew exactly when I'd worn each item and how I was feeling at the time. How could I get rid of the dress I wore to Oliver's first birthday party? No way was I shoving the shirt I wore when we found out we were having twins into a garbage bag.  Normally I love purging and de cluttering.  It brings me peace and makes me happy.  This was awful.  I felt sick and wanted nothing more than to quit. 

I took a deep breath and kept going.  After several starts and stops I ended up with this:



I didn't want to drag all these bags through my house. Tossing them out my bedroom window makes them much closer to the garage.  And it's fun.

 

 

Change is hard for me and I mourn the passing of each stage. The emotions I felt packing up each one of my babies' newborn things were the same ones I felt cleaning out my closet.  It's not the clothes it's the memories. It's knowing that I won't ever get to plan a first birthday party again.  It's embracing that I won't ever again get to see the tiny flickering heart beat of my new baby on an ultrasound screen. This is such a happy time and it's going by so quickly.  I find myself holding onto it with both hands and gritted teeth even though the right thing to do is to let go as gracefully as you can. It's such a hard process and I'm definitely still working on it.

 

 

 

 

 



THIS is happening!!!!

 

We are finally doing it! We are putting in a pool! We broke ground 2 weeks ago and it should be ready for swimming by the beginning of May! We couldn't be more excited!

 

Here's our design:

 

 

We picked Franciscan Tan for our decking

 

 

The top is the tile and grout that will go around the pool at water level.

The bottom is what the surface of the pool will be. We opted for a darker blue instead of the traditional aqua color. We saw a pool with this surface at the Lost Pines Resort and fell in love.  I'm so glad we get to have it too!

 



 

Marking the outline before excavation begins

 

Excited boys watching excavation begin

 

 

Oliver LOVED this!

 

 

Right now excavation is done and this week they will start plumbing and electric.  This summer is going to be amazing!