How to Prepare for Twins:

1) Set Up the Nursery

Yes, it is early... and yes, this means London and Elle will share a room for a month or two before the twins come, but it's all part of nesting for me. Now, the car seats, swings, baby clothes, cribs, and dresser are in their correct place, instead of strewn out in every closet in my house. When things are organized, everything is right in my world.

Kyle refinished this ancient dresser for me, and it's my favorite part of the nursery!

Now to put things on the walls...

2) Have a baby shower

      Two days before my shower, I came home from a meeting and Sierra was in my living room. I know, I know, I should just expect that she is going to show up on my doorstep every time I'm wishing she were here. Then, at about midnight the night before, my sister-in-law, Kaedi, knocked on my door! She lives outside of San Francisco, and apparently everyone was in on the surprise! I was completely overcome, feeling so much love from the women that I love so dearly. My darling sister, Taryn, planned the most beautiful shower for me in downtown Seattle.

She made a garland of hydrangea, anemones, sweet peas, ranunculus, and roses, contrasted with this industrial building. She is so gifted! Brunch was served, and we mingled as friends and family until our parking meters timed out. This is what happiness looks like! 

3) Get really really pregnant

         This is me three weeks ago. You guys, I am so pregnant. Baby boy is in the 92nd% and baby girl is in the 89th%. The extra weight and pressure limits my mobility like I never knew was possible. Who knows where my center of gravity is?! 

4) Buy a car your family can fit in

          I sent Kyle on a wild internet goose chase to find my dream car, and he found it in Arkansas. My dad then volunteered himself to drive said car to Maple Valley, Washington...a distance of over two thousand miles. I can't believe he did that for me, and I can't believe that we will be able to fit all four children in one vehicle!

5) Wait
      Waiting involves an obscene amount of sleeping and resting and laying down, but it's honestly all my body can handle. It means eating my body weight in Special K because oh my goodness that is my drug of choice this pregnancy. It means reading Les Miserables for June book club---don't worry, it's the revised edition. 

Five Days on a Beach

After missing two--- yes, two flights in a row, Kyle, me and our girls made our way to San Felipe for Easter. This was such a special trip because most of my family members were able to come, AND we invited our dearest friends from Utah, the Adams!

Each morning began at sunrise. We ate breakfast, dressed, doused ourselves in sunscreen, and ventured to the water. The men set up a volleyball net, and everyone played for hours. It was always a race against the incoming tide.

Once the tide came in, we returned to the house for lunch and babies' naps. In this picture, we're all enjoying a huge bowl of fresh clams, gathered by our group in tide pools down the beach!

The adults usually managed to squeeze in an afternoon nap as well!

Afternoons melted into evenings of gourmet dinners, card games, and star-gazing from our beds on the porch.

Kerrisa and Cambria enjoying the sunshine...

London talked to me for weeks about going fishing in San Felipe. I'm not sure where she got the idea from, but it consumed that little three-year-old brain, and she convinced my dad and Sierra to take her. On the kayak, they pretended like she was the one catching all the fish. After a while, she told my dad, "Um, Popi, you're not very good at catching fish." She ran back up to the beach house, eager to tell me about her first time fishing! In the original version, she caught 4 fish. The next time, 5 fish. By the time we made it home, she told all her friends that she caught 10. Kyle was impressed that she learned how to exaggerate a fishing story at such a young age. 

These three amigos drinking their treasured pina coladas

In a dramatic turn of events, both Noah and Jordan were stung by sting rays, and rushed to the town "doctor" for treatment. They each sat on the couch with their ankles in near-boiling water for hours. I think they are now bonded for life. 

My beautiful grandparents who made this entire trip possible!

Jelly-roll masters-Cami and Maeci!

They love their Uncle Wowah.

She found a sea cucumber! And this is how she feels about it!

On Easter morning, our camp holds a sunrise service. As the sun appears across the water, we sing songs about Christ, recite scripture, and listen to talks prepared by various members of the community. After the service this year, the kids returned to baskets from the Easter Bunny.

Five days of bliss on the beach is always exactly what I need. As a family, we re-charged, un-plugged, and grew closer to the people we love most. Maybe we'll be able to go next Easter, with the twins in tow? Maybe...