The Russells (and then there were four): Easter and Mother's Day

I ended the last blog promising Easter pictures and now that we are almost halfway through May, I am finally following through. We had a wonderful Easter! The day before Easter we went to a party at our NICU roomies (Alex and Will) grandparents’ house. They live on a beautiful piece of land and had marked off different sections for different age groups to hunt eggs (annual tradition). The Easter Bunny was there and Brooklyn wanted to sit in his lap. Tayden, as usual, wanted no part of even looking at him. We all had a great time!

The next morning, the Easter Bunny definitely found our house and brought the twins a lot of goodies. We went to my mom’s house for a delicious lunch and an egg hunt. This was the first year the twins could actually hunt eggs outside because it rained last year. They had a blast! That night we dyed eggs (Mickey Mouse and friends kit) and then had a glow in the dark egg hunt in our living room. After finding all of the eggs, the kids took the glow in the dark necklace out of each egg and wanted to link them together and make jump ropes and then pull them apart to make letters. We kept the necklaces in the freezer and were able to repeat these activities a few nights in a row. We were able to do confetti eggs for the time as well and they were a huge hit. I personally believe they should be available for purchase year round!

In April we took part in the March of Dimes Walk for Babies. This year our team raised $200! Thank you so much for those of you who donated to our team and to those of you who came out to walk with us. Our team gets bigger every year and we love it! This annual event is always a wonderful reminder of Brooklyn and Tayden’s journey. They started out so small and so weak, yet have grown into strong, healthy little people. There are so many reminders along the route of families that have suffered unbearable loss – a strong reminder of how much God has truly blessed us. I like to think of the walk as a celebration of life for our family. I love that the walk always falls in April, which is the month we finally brought the twins home from the NICU – a very large hurdle we overcame.

The twins still LOVE their school. They always come home with amazing crafts and a new abundance of knowledge. At the close of their first “school experience” I absolutely feel that they were in the most amazing school with the most amazing teachers and friends – what a blessing! We are already excited for what next year holds for them. After today, they only have two weeks left, and I have four weeks! I cannot believe that an entire school year is almost over. I have started trying to schedule activities that will keep all four of us busy this summer. I have many field trips in mind as well as a daily schedule to reinforce letters, numbers, etc. We signed Tayden up for a summer Kindermusik class and are going to sign Brooklyn up for gymnastics. We figured that this would be a good opportunity to let them start developing their interests individually. Tim and I will take turns taking them to their activities so that we can have some one-on-one time with them.

Speaking of one-on-one time, my mom and Brooklyn had a slumber party this past weekend. She was so excited all day about going to SueSue’s and even wanted to pick out which pajamas she was going to wear. She came home the next morning with hot pink fingernails and toenails. She thought that was the coolest thing ever and loves showing them off to everyone. While Brooklyn was gone, Tim and I took Tayden to Barnes and Noble. He had been very sad that he didn’t get to go to the slumber party. Brooklyn kept saying, “It’s okay buddy, it will be your turn next.” You would think that his favorite part would’ve been the children’s area with hundreds of books, but no – the escalator was the clear winner. One side was broken so we rode up and walked down about ten times. It was nice to spend time with him and see how he handles things without his trusty sidekick. When SueSue came back with Brooklyn in the morning, he was ready for his turn. We had to explain that it would be a few days. He would’ve gone this weekend, but he got sick over the weekend with an upper respiratory infection. We spent part of Mother’s Day at the Pediatric Urgent Care clinic by our house. They gave him steroids, an antibiotic, and a strong cough medicine.

Tim is doing well. His real estate business is thriving, which is truly a blessing. He has many contracts in process, and a busy summer ahead with all of the leads he has established. He has started an online course to get his Emergency Medical Technician certification. He must finish all of his coursework online and then attend a one week class at the school so that he can complete all of his hands-on labs. After completing those, he must do a certain number of ride-outs on an ambulance as well as complete a specific # of hours in the ER. He had this certification years ago before entering Collections. It has always been his passion to get back in the medical field, especially after our two months in the NICU with the twins.

As for me, my job is going very well. I have finished two major administrations of the STAAR test, and have two more to go (one of which starts tomorrow). I am learning valuable new things every day. I made the decision to apply for the Assistant Principal pool this year. I am praying that if it is meant to be it will be, but if not, I am completely happy as a data analyst and testing coordinator.

Now, for some of the hilarious things that we hear each day. We have always referred to private anatomy by the proper name. Now that the twins are using the potty (Tayden is going more and more on the potty!), they use this language more frequently. Tim and I can’t help but laugh hysterically with some of the things they come up with. We were in the car and Brooklyn had just used the potty at our last stop. She said, “I need to go pee pee.” I told her that she would need to wait a few minutes and reminded her that she had just gone. Her response was, “I still have pee pee in my v*****.” Tim and I had to look at our windows and couldn’t respond because we were literally speechless. Somewhere along the way, Tim trained Tayden to call his dangling participle his “monster.” Everytime I would change his diaper he would say, (in a deep voice) “That’s a monster!” I can only imagine what his sweet teachers at school thought about this. Brooklyn then picked up on it and would say, “Mommy, this is my monster.” Tim and I had a little chat and I told him that we needed to change this quickly, and that if we were ever called to school to discuss this situation, it would be him that would attend the meeting. That night he told Tayden, “From now on, we are going to call it your boyhood.” Brooklyn was listening and said, “Well then, this is my girlhood.” Hilarious!!! Yesterday Brooklyn was playing with Elmo and wanted to know why he didn’t have a v****** or a neckis. I am completely unprepared for these conversations, and they always catch me completely off guard.

Brooklyn is a total social butterfly. Everywhere we go, she will go up to anyone we come in contact with and ask them their name, last name, and mother’s name. Yesterday we went to breakfast for Mother’s Day and she was going around the restaurant telling everyone, “Happy Mother’s Day.” She loves performing for any audience she can find. She will say, “I am Brooklyn the singer!!!” or “I’m ready for my close-up!!” Where does she come up with this stuff? She has fallen in love with books and once I have read a book to her once or twice, she can “re-read” the story using the exact intonation that I used. Her memory blows me away! She will include every single detail. She continues to be super compassionate. She will come up to me and say, “Can I give you a hug and a kiss?” Then she will say, “I love you so much and I missed you so much!” Melts my heart every time!!

Tayden still is a bit shy when meeting new people. He still mumbles and stomps around, which is adorable. He loves his instruments and anytime we start singing, he will run to the playroom to get everyone an instrument. He has started writing his name and can do T and A. He loves talking about letter, sounds, and counting. He can name the days of the week and the months of the year, but not always in order. He loves going outside to ride his tricycle. He also enjoys filling up one of my old teacher bags with random toys and putting it on his bike as he rides around. I will ask him what he has in his bag and he will say, “Just some fings.” He has the cutest responses to questions – “Tayden, did you have fun at school?” “I did!” “Tayden did you eat your dinner?” “I didn’t.” He gives wonderful hugs and kisses and still loves snuggling with me, especially when he is sick. He is always full of information. Brooklyn got in trouble at school one day for not staying on her napmat at naptime. When I asked her why she got in trouble she said, “I don’t know.” I asked him, and he gave me the full story.

A few weeks ago, the girls of the family – my mom, sisters, niece, and me, went to see Wicked. I had no idea what to expect. The music was fabulous and the chance to spend time with my family was awesome! We definitely need to make that an annual tradition.

We celebrated Mother’s Day with my whole family on Saturday night by having dinner at Sweetie Pie’s Ribeyes (DELICIOUS)!!!!!! Yesterday, I was treated to a yummy breakfast at a diner by our house and then spent the day hanging out with Tim and the twins. The twins made me beautiful Mother’s Day tote bags and little signs with their handprints (at school). They also made me bracelets and noodle necklaces. It was humorous that Brooklyn's bracelet was full of beads and her necklace full of noodles, whereas Tayden's bracelet had one bead and his necklace had one noodle. He is a man that values the beauty of simplicity. Tim got me a gift certificate to the nail salon and a new phone!!! I feel extremely blessed to have two amazing, beautiful, healthy children. They are my precious gifts every day. I thank God daily for entrusting me with their care. It is a great responsibility and the most important job I will ever have. I am also grateful for Tim – who chose me to be his wife and the mother of his children. My most favorite times in life are when I am with my little family making memories.

I am honored to have a mother that I also consider one of my very best friends. I have always loved her and appreciated her, but since becoming a mom myself, my love, appreciation, and admiration has increased greatly. She is one of the first people I call when something good or bad happens. She celebrates my victories and helps my overcome my defeats. My mom raised us to love the Lord, to be kind and nurture others, to be independent thinkers, to treat others the way we want to be treated, to always give our best, and to love unconditionally. She provided us with an amazing example of what a Godly wife and mother should be. I pray that I will have the type of relationship I have with her, with Brooklyn and Tayden when they are adults. I love you mom and will forever be grateful for your constant love, encouragement, and support.