The McPherson Chronicles

Friday,  March 13, 2020, is the day our lives paused indefinitely. We had just celebrated the girls' birthday and Andrew's first t-ball game and even had a school birthday celebration during the week. There was already talk and worry about Covid-19 spreading in the US, but it was still only in the back of our minds. We carried on with life as usual for that week until Friday came around. I started a new job just the week prior and we were juggling school and work schedules along with t-ball practice and ballet in a carefully choreographed juggling act involving grandparents, shared iPhone calendars, and lots of coordination. Thursday, talk of Covid seemed to  ramp up and there was talk of shutting down schools and businesses. Friday we all went to school and work as usual and at 2pm our School Board voted to close the schools for two weeks. Since schools get out at 2:30pm, most teachers and parents did not hear the news until after school was over and there was no time for tea...

 This definitely deserves its own post as it was an extra special year of Nutcracker.  The girls were excited to finally be able to try out for the Party Scene and hopefully not be mice again. Thankfully they were tall enough and were selected for the Party Scene and surprisingly they were also selected to be Chinese Attendants. After a few rehearsals, when they were just about to add in the adults to the mix, I got to the studio to pick them up and the Director came out and said, "I hear your husband is going to join us and dance too!" The girls came running out and told me they had just volunteered Kevin since they needed another male adult in Party Scene. I told them they had to have that conversation with him when we got home and made no promises (knowing full well he would do it and not be able to turn them down). To be fair, Kevin had told the girls years ago that when they were in Party Scene one year he would do it with them (he just thoug...

The girls went on their first big adventure this summer! They went to Arizona to spend a week with Auntie Sarah, Uncle Tim, and the boys. They were beyond excited when they found out about the trip and never thought twice about if they would miss us or their brother. I knew they would be fine and knew they would have the best trip. So excited and ready to go! The three amigos on the road to Auntie's house! Auntie Katie and Lizzy were driving out to Arizona for the weekend anyway so the girls hitched a ride with them on Friday afternoon and loved spending the weekend with them too. The rest of the week the girls spent helping with the boys, baking with Auntie, crafting up a storm and watching movies. They got to go to Legoland Discovery Center too, which they loved. We sent them along with an old cell phone where they could text us on wi-fi and take photos and videos of their trip. It was their first experience with a cell phone of their own and a test to make sure the...

I melt when I find them all doing something together like this. Love them!!

I always loved watching the bond between the girls. They have been two peas in a pod since birth and truly are best friends. I wondered how Andrew would fit into the mix and how their relationships would form over the years. I'm truly amazed watching them interact and care for one another. The girls are so loving, sweet and accommodating of Andrew and he adores them and wants to do everything they do. This picture sums up so much of these 3 best little buddies.

This kid's hair is WILD! I think I need to get it cut again and that will help. It's SO curly! But, the funny thing is sometimes, depending on how he sleeps, he can wake up with perfectly straight, well groomed hair. It's like he's 2 different kids. I just don't know what to do with these curls. Hopefully it gets thicker so I can do something with the curls otherwise I'm going to have to keep it constantly short. Also he finally had his 2 year appointment and he weighs 29lbs and is 35" tall. Getting big!

Andrew has started this new thing that I absolutely adore and hope he never stops doing. When it's time for bed he gets his lovie and puts his thumb in his mouth. I scoop him up and he gives kisses to Daddy and the girls before we go to his room. Usually we'll read a story and then turn the lights out and cuddle for prayers. For the last week or so he has anticipated when I am at the last sentence of prayers. Just as I say the last few words he pulls his thumb out of his mouth, gets the biggest smile on his face, grabs around the back of my head and pulls me in for a kiss on the lips with impeccable timing as I say the last word. Afterward he gives me one more big grin, puts his thumb back in his mouth and snuggles up with his lovie as I lay him in his crib. It's the perfect ending to the day.

I wanted to do something special to celebrate the girls starting school. This past Sunday we had a fancy dinner for them. Kevin took the girls out to run some errands while I got everything ready. They had no idea what they were in for when they got home. I decorated the dining room with streamers, balloons and flowers from outside. I got out a nice tablecloth, cloth napkins and our china to set the table. For dinner I went with the girls' absolute favorite- sprinkle pancakes, eggs and sausage. I also made a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting for dessert. To complete the party, I got out two of their princess dresses and tiaras and Kevin and I also got dressed up. Everything was all set when they came home! Kevin had the girls put their princess dresses on before they came in the house and they were so curious and excited about what was going on. Then Kevin and Andrew escorted each of the girls into the house and to the table where they giggled and smiled incessantly...

Things are about to get officially crazy for us. Long story short, we're in the midst of selling our condo and we just finalized things to rent a bigger house in the area. We're excited, overwhelmed, busy and sad all at the same time. It's been a roller coaster looking and securing a house in this ridiculously competitive rental market but we were fortunate enough to find something. So, in 2 weeks we'll be leaving our condo and moving on to something bigger and hopefully better. We've definitely outgrown the condo since Kevin and I bought it nearly 6 years ago (almost to the day, actually). It was our first home after we got married and it was the first place the girls ever lived. We're not sure what, if any, they will remember of it in the long run, so the plan is to make a video tour of the house to save for them down the road. We want to get it done before we start packing and turning the place completely upside down so hopefully they can see it somewhat cl...

Apparently Peek-a-boo isn't just a baby activity. I caught the girls playing through their pretend kitchen the other day. It was more of a "what's behind door number 2" type of game, but it reminded me of this post just a few years ago. We love that they constantly have a playmate.

This must be what all those people who say, "Twins, huh? Wow, you must have your hands full!" are referring to. Best thing in the world!

Happy New Year!! 2011 was a great year for us with two 2 year olds, quick and easy potty training, an amazing trip to Hawaii and Kevin making his way through school. We look forward to what 2012 will bring and wish everyone a great year filled with love, laughter and great memories. We spent some time up at Dan & Tanya's house letting the girls run around and play with their cousins before heading home to ring in the new year quietly (while the girls were sleeping away). It was a wonderful evening.

When Kevin moved out the girls' cribs to make way for their new beds, he found a perfect little (dirty) baby footprint on the wall behind the cribs. It was so sweet to see that tiny footprint on the wall as a reminder of how much they've grown (and also why I bathe them every night).

Kevin has school Monday and Wednesday nights which means these nights are girls nights. Some nights are rough and some nights are great. It depends on a number of factors- their moods, my mood, how hungry we all are, how tired we are all, which way the wind is blowing... Even on the hardest evenings I can count on one great time- bedtime. I don't even mean the time when I lay the girls down and come out to my quiet living room. On Mondays and Wednesdays I look forward to doing our bedtime routine all alone with the girls. As bedtime nears, we clean up the toys, put milk cups away and head to the girls' room. There is no whining or fussing and never a tantrum. They love bedtime and are always ready for it. As soon as we enter their dark room the girls go straight to the rocking chair and wait for me to sit down so they can climb into my lap. Olivia's always nuzzles up on my left shoulder and Lucy always on my right. They immediately snuggle in with their heads facing out a...

Here's to a time when everything had a place and was always in that place. I dusted and vacuumed weekly and thoroughly. I had nice, breakable things and they were displayed for everyone to see. I knew where everything was at any given moment. It was quiet and organized at all times. Here's to a time before the girls were mobile. They and all their stuff remained within a few feet of where they were left. Everything still had a place and always was in that place. There was a bit more stuff but for the most part it was manageable. The average time to pick-up the house for the day was less than 5 mins. I dusted and vacuumed once a week if not more. Heaven forbid the children lay on a dirty floor! I still had nice, breakable things and displayed them. Though the house was a bit more cramped with stuff, I still had a general idea of what was where. There were moments of chaos and moments of peace and quiet. There was a healthy balance. Here's to today when my living room be...

I stumbled upon this on another website and I immediately knew it had to go here. It's an accurate representation of where the girls are currently. If it is on, I must turn it off. If it is off, I must turn it on. If it is folded, I must unfold it. If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled. If it a solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared. If it is high, it must be reached. If it is shelved, it must be unshelved. If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed. If it has leaves, they must be picked. If it is plugged, it must be unplugged. If it is not trash, it must be thrown away. If it is in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and thrown on the floor. If it is closed, it must be opened. If it does not open, it must be screamed at. If it has drawers, they must be rifled. If it is a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator, monitor, or table. If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied. If it is empty, it will be more interesting f...

Some form of this is probably one of the most frequent comments/questions we get about twins. Answer: it's the only thing we know. We didn't have a singleton (Kevin loves when I use that term) before the girls and we haven't had any since, so having 2 little ones to chase after is all we know. We hardly know what to do with ourselves when just one of them wakes up early from a nap and we have to entertain her until sister gets up (or else she will go wake sister up her self). So I figured maybe a little back tracking of how we manage(d) with 2 babies and now toddlers, may be good, at least for our memories. At the beginning we had LOTS OF HELP. I'm fairly certain I've already documented all that somewhere on here so I won't go into details. I can't stress enough how much having help really does allow the mom to re cooperate, especially after a c-section and while nursing. Speaking of nursing I mostly nursed them one at a time, but occasionally for th...

We made our first trip to Disneyland last weekend! It was a spur of the moment, aligning of the stars, and some awesome friends Catherine & Mike, that made the trip possible. We met my sister out there on Sunday and got there right at lunchtime. After a quick lunch at the front of the park we headed back towards Small World, which I knew the girls would enjoy. We decided on Dumbo as our first ride. Who doesn’t love Dumbo, right? Wrong. Olivia cried and screamed through the entire ride as she sat in Kevin’s lap. Lucy sat with me and was scared at first but once we got going she had fun. After that traumatizing event, we headed over to the storybook ride next door. We got right onto a boat manned by a friend of ours from high school. So random that we ran into her! She did an awesome job giving us the tour of storybook land and the girls loved their boat ride. So, one good ride experience one bad one. Not too bad. Small World was a total hit! We had never been during the holiday s...

In honor of our 4th wedding anniversary tomorrow, here are some photos of our wedding day. We've been on quite a journey these past few years and know we have a lot more ahead of us to look forward to. We're so blessed to have each other and our two little girls.

At my OB appointment one day shy of 38 weeks, the nurse took my blood pressure and immediately made me lie down on the table. My blood pressure had never been a problem but I had read plenty and knew she was concerned about pre eclampsia. The Dr. sent me to the hospital to get monitored but once everything stabilized, they sent me home, still pregnant. Monday night, March 9th, one day shy of week 39 I went back to the OB for a check-up. The nurse was once again concerned about my blood pressure and sent the Dr. in. After checking me and still finding no signs of labor, he sent me back to the hospital to be monitored. On the way out he mentioned that he would be stopping by or checking in with the hospital in a bit but he was leaving for vacation the next day so if anything happened, his partner would take over. I’d never even met his partner Dr and didn’t know him/her at all. I wanted to get this pregnancy over with so I didn’t put up too much of a fuss (like it would have done any...