The photographer, Heather Williams, came to our house one afternoon and spent several hours with the twins. She brought with her a bag full of fun hats and lots of creative ideas. I'd highly recommend her.
Here are a few of the favorites:
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Newborn Photo Shoot
As a baby present from some friends of mine, Tim and I were given a free photo shoot with a professional photographer. Many, many thanks to our friends for such a wonderful and thoughtful gift. I had never heard of that being done as a baby shower gift before but what a great idea!
The photographer, Heather Williams, came to our house one afternoon and spent several hours with the twins. She brought with her a bag full of fun hats and lots of creative ideas. I'd highly recommend her.
Here are a few of the favorites:
The photographer, Heather Williams, came to our house one afternoon and spent several hours with the twins. She brought with her a bag full of fun hats and lots of creative ideas. I'd highly recommend her.
Here are a few of the favorites:
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Easter Outfits
Our little Ginnie in her Easter dress!
Our little princess was tired of taking pictures...
Our little Hudson in his Easter outfit!
Hudson got too tired for pictures...
Our little princess was tired of taking pictures...
Our little Hudson in his Easter outfit!
Hudson got too tired for pictures...
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
It's Go Time!
My OB has said "it's time" so off to the hospital we go...
Hudson and Ginnie will be here soon.
Stay tuned...
Hudson and Ginnie will be here soon.
Stay tuned...
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
CVS takes on Walmart
So I've been wondering... Is it worth cutting coupons, watching for sale items in weekly flyers and signing up for a store's discount program?
YES!
But aren't Walmart's prices the cheapest?
Not always!
My CVS purchase today proves you don't always save more by visiting your local Supercenter.
As an example, here are two items I purchased at CVS today:
1 Ensure 6-pack
1 Renu Contact Solution bottle
At CVS, the Ensure was on sale for $6.99 and the Renu for $7.99. At Walmart, the Ensure would be $6.97 and the Renu would be $6.00. I know what you're thinking... "How in the world is CVS cheaper? Clearly Walmart is $2.01 cheaper than CVS."
Or are they?
Well, not today. I had a coupon for $5 off any $20 CVS purchase and CVS gave me $2 Extracare Bucks (ECB) to use on a future purchase just for buying the Renu.
So in reality, CVS was $4.99 CHEAPER than Walmart! Here's how it breaks down. The items at Walmart totaled $12.97, but the same items at CVS were $14.98 - $5 coupon - $2 ECB = $7.98!
To make things even better, CVS's Extracare program gives you 2% back with every purchase. For details click HERE. Also the Green bag tag program gives you one $1 ECB on every 4th CVS visit.
~~~~~
For all you crazy coupon queens out there, here's my complete purchase today.
(Bought)
2 Ensure 6-pks at $6.99 each
1 GE Energy Smart light blub at $2.99
1 Renu Contact Solution bottle at $7.99
1 CVS Green Bag tag at $0.99
(Used)
$5 off $20 coupon
$1 and $2 ECBs
$1 off coupon for the Renu
$2 off instant peel off sticker for the Renu
$1 off coupon for the light bulb
The bill was $13.95 w/o tax, but I received $5.50 back in ECBs making the real total $8.45!!!
YES!
But aren't Walmart's prices the cheapest?
Not always!
My CVS purchase today proves you don't always save more by visiting your local Supercenter.
As an example, here are two items I purchased at CVS today:
1 Ensure 6-pack
1 Renu Contact Solution bottle
At CVS, the Ensure was on sale for $6.99 and the Renu for $7.99. At Walmart, the Ensure would be $6.97 and the Renu would be $6.00. I know what you're thinking... "How in the world is CVS cheaper? Clearly Walmart is $2.01 cheaper than CVS."
Or are they?
Well, not today. I had a coupon for $5 off any $20 CVS purchase and CVS gave me $2 Extracare Bucks (ECB) to use on a future purchase just for buying the Renu.
So in reality, CVS was $4.99 CHEAPER than Walmart! Here's how it breaks down. The items at Walmart totaled $12.97, but the same items at CVS were $14.98 - $5 coupon - $2 ECB = $7.98!
To make things even better, CVS's Extracare program gives you 2% back with every purchase. For details click HERE. Also the Green bag tag program gives you one $1 ECB on every 4th CVS visit.
~~~~~
For all you crazy coupon queens out there, here's my complete purchase today.
(Bought)
2 Ensure 6-pks at $6.99 each
1 GE Energy Smart light blub at $2.99
1 Renu Contact Solution bottle at $7.99
1 CVS Green Bag tag at $0.99
(Used)
$5 off $20 coupon
$1 and $2 ECBs
$1 off coupon for the Renu
$2 off instant peel off sticker for the Renu
$1 off coupon for the light bulb
The bill was $13.95 w/o tax, but I received $5.50 back in ECBs making the real total $8.45!!!
Friday, January 1, 2010
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
What's in a name? It's more than just letters.
I don't know if this is true for you or not but the names I liked as a child aren't so desirable anymore. I'm not sure why but now that we have the opportunity to name our children, I have a different opinion about what I like and why. For example, as a young girl, I thought it would be great to have twin boys and name them Logan and Caleb. Well, neither one of those names made our short list.
Tim and I both agree on several criteria for naming the twins. In no particular order:
1. When you see the name, you know how to say it.
2. When you hear the name, you know how to spell it.
3. Meaning of the name may or may not be important.
4. No rhyming names.
5. Biblical names are optional but not necessary.
6. The first syllable of their names must be different.
7. No gender neutral names.
8. No names of previous significant others.
So, Baby Boy Rowe, Baby A, is going to be Hudson James. Baby Girl Rowe, Baby B, is going to be Mary Virginia.
Hudson, meaning son of Hud/Hudde, is the name of the town I grew up in as a child and absolutely loved. James, meaning one who supplants, is a family name on my side as well as Tim's favorite book of the Bible.
Mary, meaning sea of bitterness, is the middle name of my paternal grandmother who also had twins. Virginia, meaning maid or virgin, is the first name of Tim's maternal grandmother. We'll call her "Ginnie" for short.
As you can see, we ended up with 3 out of the 4 being family names, which wasn't one of the criteria but became a strong deciding factor.
Tim and I both agree on several criteria for naming the twins. In no particular order:
1. When you see the name, you know how to say it.
2. When you hear the name, you know how to spell it.
3. Meaning of the name may or may not be important.
4. No rhyming names.
5. Biblical names are optional but not necessary.
6. The first syllable of their names must be different.
7. No gender neutral names.
8. No names of previous significant others.
So, Baby Boy Rowe, Baby A, is going to be Hudson James. Baby Girl Rowe, Baby B, is going to be Mary Virginia.
Hudson, meaning son of Hud/Hudde, is the name of the town I grew up in as a child and absolutely loved. James, meaning one who supplants, is a family name on my side as well as Tim's favorite book of the Bible.
Mary, meaning sea of bitterness, is the middle name of my paternal grandmother who also had twins. Virginia, meaning maid or virgin, is the first name of Tim's maternal grandmother. We'll call her "Ginnie" for short.
As you can see, we ended up with 3 out of the 4 being family names, which wasn't one of the criteria but became a strong deciding factor.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Taking Inventory
In prep for the twins arrival and just for kicks, I decided it was time to take inventory. Not of everything we've received or bought for the twins but of the thousands and thousands of diapers purchased in recent months.
Our diaper inventory is as follows:
Preemie: 62
Newborn: 596
Stage 1: 749
Stage 1-2: 234
Stage 2: 404
Stage 2-3: 152
Stage 3: 951
Stage 4: 27
Grand Total: 3,175
Since the nursery closet shelves are full, we have an overflow area.
And my baby bump at 28 weeks!
Our diaper inventory is as follows:
Preemie: 62
Newborn: 596
Stage 1: 749
Stage 1-2: 234
Stage 2: 404
Stage 2-3: 152
Stage 3: 951
Stage 4: 27
Grand Total: 3,175
Since the nursery closet shelves are full, we have an overflow area.
And my baby bump at 28 weeks!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Linked Heart Butterfly
Shortly after Tim and I heard the heartbeats for the first time and found out we were expecting twins, my mom bought me this pendant necklace. The designer, James Avery, probably never thought it would be a perfect gift for a mother expecting twins but it is!
Two hearts forever linked to form a beautiful butterfly. Thanks, mom!
Two hearts forever linked to form a beautiful butterfly. Thanks, mom!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Inlaws come to town...
A few members of Tim's family recently came for a long visit. Andy, Tim's oldest brother, was a groomsmen in a friend's wedding here in town so he and his wife, Liz, and their adorable daughter, Hannah, came all the way from Montana and stayed with us for about 5 days.
Tim's mom also came up to help Suzanne, Tim's little sister, move into her new house. Excited as we are for her and Joe to become happy homeowners, we hate that they now live 30 minutes away. They were just down the street and around the corner.
We also celebrated Tim's mom's birthday.
I want to thank Hannah for modeling our new bumbo for us! We don’t have a pink one yet so blue had to do. I resisted the urge for her to model all of our new shower gifts.
My baby bump is getting big real fast. Unfortunately one day while Tim's family was here, I had severe growing pains and was in bed most of the day.
I'm 22 weeks in this picture.
After our company left and the weekend came to an end, we all crashed... including Duchess!
Tim's mom also came up to help Suzanne, Tim's little sister, move into her new house. Excited as we are for her and Joe to become happy homeowners, we hate that they now live 30 minutes away. They were just down the street and around the corner.
We also celebrated Tim's mom's birthday.
I want to thank Hannah for modeling our new bumbo for us! We don’t have a pink one yet so blue had to do. I resisted the urge for her to model all of our new shower gifts.
My baby bump is getting big real fast. Unfortunately one day while Tim's family was here, I had severe growing pains and was in bed most of the day.
I'm 22 weeks in this picture.
After our company left and the weekend came to an end, we all crashed... including Duchess!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Now showing in 4D...
Just before Halloween I made a day trip to Atlanta to visit my brother, sister-in-law and two nephews. My parents were in town for the weekend as well.
Even though the air was crisp and ground muddy from heavy rains, we spent a few hours of the morning at a pumpkin patch just north of the city. The small farm also had a corn maze, petting zoo, and inflatable outdoor jumping toys. My nephew, David, found the goats particularly interesting.
Isn't he adorable?!
An OB I know in Atlanta needed more experience with the 4D setting on the ultrasound machine so I gladly volunteered. That afternoon while my nephews napped, my mom, sister-in-law, and I went to the OB's office and saw the twins at nearly 20 weeks in 4D.
The best time for scanning an unborn baby in 4D is around 28 weeks. By that time the baby has gained plenty of weight but has not descended into the pelvis. As you can see the twins appear mummy-like because it's a bit early to be scanning them in 4D.
If case you're wondering, the 4th dimension is motion/movement. The below pictures have the high tech 4D image on the left and the regular 3D image on the right. It can be confusing because images printed from a 4D ultrasound scan appear 3D, and images printed from a standard 3D scan appear 2D.
Even though the air was crisp and ground muddy from heavy rains, we spent a few hours of the morning at a pumpkin patch just north of the city. The small farm also had a corn maze, petting zoo, and inflatable outdoor jumping toys. My nephew, David, found the goats particularly interesting.
Isn't he adorable?!
An OB I know in Atlanta needed more experience with the 4D setting on the ultrasound machine so I gladly volunteered. That afternoon while my nephews napped, my mom, sister-in-law, and I went to the OB's office and saw the twins at nearly 20 weeks in 4D.
The best time for scanning an unborn baby in 4D is around 28 weeks. By that time the baby has gained plenty of weight but has not descended into the pelvis. As you can see the twins appear mummy-like because it's a bit early to be scanning them in 4D.
If case you're wondering, the 4th dimension is motion/movement. The below pictures have the high tech 4D image on the left and the regular 3D image on the right. It can be confusing because images printed from a 4D ultrasound scan appear 3D, and images printed from a standard 3D scan appear 2D.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Learning the Ropes...
At my Mothers of Multiples group on Monday night, our guest speaker presented a couponing seminar. We aren't pinching pennies now, but I know in days to come we'll need every penny so I thought I'd begin to learn the ropes.
Tonight I ventured to Rite Aid and purchased 3 items for a total of $20.47 (w/o tax), a 49% savings.
Here's the breakdown:
1.) Cottonelle TP 20CT- regularly priced $17.99 but on sale for $10.99; I had a $1.00 off coupon and paid $9.99 ($0.50 per roll)
2.) Huggies Pure & Natural 30CT - regularly priced at $11.99 but on sale for $9.99; I had a $3.00 off coupon and paid $6.99 ($0.23 per diaper*)
3.) Huggies Gentle 36CT- regularly priced at $11.99 but on sale for $9.99; I had a $1.50 off coupon and paid $8.49 ($0.24 per diaper*)
Lastly, I had a $5 for $25 coupon. (Get $5 off for any purchase of $25 or more.)
*Our guest speaker said our goal should be to shoot for $0.17-$0.22 per diaper on name brand diapers. If you're really good at couponing, she said it's possible to pay less than $0.10 per diaper.
Tonight I ventured to Rite Aid and purchased 3 items for a total of $20.47 (w/o tax), a 49% savings.
Here's the breakdown:
1.) Cottonelle TP 20CT- regularly priced $17.99 but on sale for $10.99; I had a $1.00 off coupon and paid $9.99 ($0.50 per roll)
2.) Huggies Pure & Natural 30CT - regularly priced at $11.99 but on sale for $9.99; I had a $3.00 off coupon and paid $6.99 ($0.23 per diaper*)
3.) Huggies Gentle 36CT- regularly priced at $11.99 but on sale for $9.99; I had a $1.50 off coupon and paid $8.49 ($0.24 per diaper*)
Lastly, I had a $5 for $25 coupon. (Get $5 off for any purchase of $25 or more.)
*Our guest speaker said our goal should be to shoot for $0.17-$0.22 per diaper on name brand diapers. If you're really good at couponing, she said it's possible to pay less than $0.10 per diaper.
Monday, October 26, 2009
No more cobwebs!
Our kitchen project is making progress. Tim has been hard at work and last weekend he installed a new kitchen window.
Our old window... cobwebs and all. Ick!
Tim installing the new one... and yes, it was a very cold Saturday.
Our beautiful new window and it's so much easier to open (and to clean)!!!
Our old window... cobwebs and all. Ick!
Tim installing the new one... and yes, it was a very cold Saturday.
Our beautiful new window and it's so much easier to open (and to clean)!!!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
It was time...
I had been growing my hair long for two years now but found myself more and more putting it in a ponytail, not really doing much with it. I know, I may regret the cut and the ease of the ponytail days once the twins come, but the ends were unhealthy and I had grown tired of the length.
So, snip snip. Off it came.
And I LOVE it!!!
Here's the BEFORE:
And AFTER:
(I'm 16 weeks prego in the 1st picture and 18 weeks prego in the 2nd picture, in case you were curious.)
So, snip snip. Off it came.
And I LOVE it!!!
Here's the BEFORE:
And AFTER:
(I'm 16 weeks prego in the 1st picture and 18 weeks prego in the 2nd picture, in case you were curious.)
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The results are in...
With confirmation from 3 separate doctors and several ultrasound techs, we are pretty confident in announcing... Pink AND Blue!!! Yes, we are having one of each. No, they are not identical. (We've been told we'll be asked that even though they're boy/girl twins.)
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