sweetness, rocks, a kickball, anchors, and shadows

ever always has sweet moments but yesterday the sweet moments were overflowing.  before lunch she asked to "cuddle up in mama's bed" so we did.  we were watching a movie together and i figured since she was occupied it would be a good time for me to get showered and put makeup on.  i almost got up when she seemed perfectly content on her own but luckily i didn't because a minute later she used my belly as a pillow and cuddled with her baby sisters.  she rubbed her hand on my arm telling me how soft it is and she kept snuggling in closer to me and squeezing me.  a moment i would have missed if i was in a hurry to get ready.  i know the day will soon come that i'll miss the times of it just being the two of us together all day so i'm soaking it up as much as i can.  i've already had anxiety knowing that i'll be away from her for a couple nights when the twins are born.  we've never been apart like that...the longest has been for a full day but never a night.  

after her nap she woke up asking to see "papa bad ass" a title she randomly gave him one day that completely shocked us.  not sure how she came up with that one but it is fitting.  we drove to will's work right away so she could "hug a papa" and kiss him.  on the way there she was making me laugh with her chatter.  she completely lights up and does a high pitched scream as soon as she sees will so when he came walking out to the car she freaked out.  

side story......will has been on call this week and two days ago he had to be at work by 2am to help with some sort of upgrade.  he hadn't slept at all and worked a full shift coming home as ever and i were starting our day.  i tried my best to keep ever quiet so he could take a nap when he got home but after a few hours she couldn't stay away any longer.  she busted open the bedroom door and woke him up and was in the best mood for the rest of the day because i think she knew what a treat it was to have her papa home in the middle of the week.  

yesterday evening we were enjoying some time outside.  ever ran around collecting rocks in her pockets.  it took an hour and some convincing but we finally got her to dump the rocks out after they enjoyed a car ride in her pockets.  she would meticulously pick out certain rocks and then grab handfuls as well when selecting the ones to carry around with her.  i was so entertained watching the process.  

will brought her kickball outside and played as if he was a little kid himself.  no wonder she adores him the way she does.  they ran and laughed and she watched in amazement as he kicked the ball as far as he could.  i have to add that i love the way ever runs.....it always makes me laugh.  i can't even describe it well so i'll have to get a video of it.  she would laugh so hard and be worried at the same time when the ball flew over the wall or way out into the field.  a couple times will scaled a wall to retrieve it and ever looked at him with a wide eyed affectionate look like he was the most amazing super hero in the world.  to both her and i he is just that.  she kept spinning around in circles yelling "surprise" as we played outside together and i really enjoyed that.

when i put ever's shirt on her yesterday i told her it had anchors on it.  she looked at me and said "yeah la luna"  i was amazed.  she remembered the anchor shown in a scene on the short film la luna.  she doesn't miss a thing.    

before we went inside i was noticing my pregnant shadow on the wall and i thought it looked amazing so i decided to take a picture of it.  right as i snapped the picture ever came running around the corner making the picture even more perfect.  

she is the most wild and lovable creature....that girl of ours.

22 week jumping beans

i tried to get better pictures with the real camera but the memory card was full and ever wasn't being cooperative so i gave up and took this one on my phone instead. 

such a difference from my pregnancy posts with ever when i had less distractions and took time to post every single week with good pictures, like this magical photo.   

i might look 40 weeks pregnant but this is what 22 weeks pregnant with twins looks like on me.  plus i had just had dinner and eating even the smallest amount makes a difference in how full i look and feel.  dinner was spaghetti squash, black beans, and strawberries....3 of my current food obsessions.  i tend to have a few things that sound good to me and and i eat them over and over for a week or more until i'm kind of sick of them.  last week was veggie sandwiches.  i'd eat at least two a day most days.  i have decided dresses are most comfy lately so i'll keep my couple of maternity dresses in heavy rotation when trying to look presentable....prepare to see them often.  

when lying in bed the other day and feeling baby wiggles i thought of how they reminded me of jumping beans.  over the years when i was a child i was always so happy to have jumping beans.  i remember one summer day in particular that brandon and i went into the gas station with my dad and those tiny acrylic cases stacked on the counter full of clicking beans caught my eye.  my dad got brandon and i each our own little box of jumping beans and i remember being so thrilled holding them when we got back in the car.  i talked about which name would be best for each one.  naming things has always been extremely important to me.  i took great care in picking out the perfect original name for each little bean.  in fact i remember conversing with my dad about how one of them would be named pico.  

yesterday i was sharing with will how feeling the baby wiggles reminds me of jumping beans and imagine my absolute shock when he informed me that he never had jumping beans as a child.  now i have to find some just so he can experience them.  i told will how when i'd hold the beans in my hand i'd feel this little sensation right before they'd jump and sometimes it is the same with the babies.  there are times they completely surprise me with their movement but then there are times when i know right before they are going to do a big kick.  feeling that movement as i've said before is my most favorite thing.  it is even more special this time because i can tell which baby is wiggling.  realizing that not everyone gets the magic of feeling two babies move at once is one of the things that makes me feel extra fortunate to experience this twin pregnancy.    

shop and giveaway talk

here is the latest painting i added to the {skyelish} family.

my bearded guy asked for something beard related (because he is obsessed with his face sweater...i am too) and this is what i came up with.  

so here is what has been happening on {etsy} since i opened up shop at the end of april.

i made a couple sales which thrilled me.  i had several views and a few items favorited which again made my day.  then i got really frustrated because the next batch of prints i had made turned out like garbage.  we had them reprinted two more times and still garbage which put everything on hold.  luckily after a couple frustrating weeks we figured out a solution.  this solution costs a little more but i am so incredibly happy with how well the prints have come out.  i'd rather have to pay more and charge a little more for a product i'm 110% happy with selling.  

all the prints you see here and more are now happily waiting for a new home.  

if there is a painting of mine that i've done over the years which you'd love to see as a print on {etsy} please let me know.  i plan on adding about 3 or 4 different ones in the next week so keep checking if you don't see your favorite in there yet.....and seriously let me know if there is one in particular you'd love to see listed.  i'm going to give this shop of mine all i can for the next few months.  by september (when the twins arrive) i bet i'll be closing that joint up for at least a couple months, so {enjoy} while you can friends.

also a giveaway will be happening soon.....maybe even more than one so stay tuned for that information.

ever loves it when i go to the doctor

as we were leaving the house for my doctor's appointment yesterday i asked ever to smile for a picture....she did this instead.  seems to be her new trick as you can see here.

this is a tiny glimpse of her happy hop she's been doing lately.  my brother did the same type of hop when he was little and my parents called it his happy hop.

when we drive around town she is always asking to go to the doctor and see baby sisters so she was really happy her wish came true yesterday.  she didn't get to see them but she did get to hear their heartbeats and that made her happy.

i think she was saying a version of clippity clop here....that is the noise her ride on pony makes.  it also sounds like she is saying teacup or something else.  whatever it is you can tell she was quite pleased and at the end of the video she starts singing let it go from frozen.  that is a common thing lately...her running around the house singing "let it go" over and over.

other things that thrilled her were seeing papa, yaya, the pond, and getting snacks from the hospital cafeteria.

finally a decent picture of the 5 of us!  i should have turned to the side to show off this amazing growing belly of mine.  

this little lady likes to walk around the hospital like she owns the place and she is rather fond of the attention she gets these days.

one thing i didn't like hearing at my appointment was the truth.  the doctor said "you have about two months left of feeling pretty good and then you'll basically be miserable for the remainder of your pregnancy, that is just how it is with multiples due to the volume you are carrying."  so basically i was told to take full advantage of getting things done and enjoying life the next couple months, which i had already planned on.  i asked how i'd be able to sleep at the end because i've already been having a little bit of a hard time feeling comfortable at 21 weeks.  he said....you wont sleep at the end.  awesome!  not sleeping or being comfortable at the end of my pregnancy then not sleeping once they arrive because i'll have two newborns to take care of all while trying to heal from a c-section.  i'm just going to do my best to stay positive and focus on the great things like the movement i feel from them which i adore and the fact that i'll soon have two tiny babies to snuggle.  i could easily let my mind be overrun by the worries i have but i just have to take it one day at a time and know that everything will work out.

oh hi baby sisters

yesterday was one of those days that i felt being a mom is the hardest job in the world.  ever was on another level of cranky and throwing fits all throughout the day.  i don't know if this is the terrible twos stage you hear about or if she was just having an off day like we all do.  i thought her mood might improve after a nap but it didn't.  no amount of time outs or trying different activities or going places or serious discussions seemed to help.  it also doesn't help that my patience level has really decreased with pregnancy.  

so far it looks like today i am in for the sweet side of ever and that makes me happy.  when i went to get her out of her crib this morning my too small shirt was scrunched up revealing the baby belly.  ever noticed the belly being exposed and in her sweetest voice said "oh hi baby sisters!" as if she was genuinely thrilled to see them.  she then rested her head on my rapidly growing midsection and kissed it.  it was an adorable moment i'll never forget.  it is that sort of thing that makes up for all the harder times of mothering. 

(one of ever's happier moments yesterday when will got home and let her play with his motorcycle helmet)

10 things about me

my friend {micaela} challenged me to share 10 things about myself.  when put on the spot i am the worst at knowing what to say.  it is either during my random late night daydreams or after a moment has passed that i think of brilliant things.  so here is the best i can think of right now and some of these things may not be a major revelation.  also i realize these are supposed to be quick facts but i tend to say a lot as you will see...

(a picture taken back when throw away cameras were a thing)

1:: i am not a fan of capitalization as is evident by looking at my blog or instagram.  it is not a lazy thing but rather an artistic thing in my mind.  having the letters all uniform is more visually pleasing to me even if i am breaking all the rules.  same goes with my love of ...... versus commas.  when i first started my blog in 2009 i followed capitalization and punctuation rules then one day i stopped caring what people would think if i did it the way i really wanted to in the first place.

2:: i have a passion for the written word and documenting things.  i attribute this passion to two things.  my mom kept a wonderful journal of my early years that i completely cherish.  plus my dad kept journals throughout his life and since his transition to heaven in 2001 the words he wrote have brought comfort to me during hard times.  i view it as one of his ways to communicate and share wisdom although he is no longer with us.  i've always kept various journals to document all sorts of things during my life.  in 1996 i started documenting things in a different way.  each year i would buy a day calendar that had a decent amount of writing space and i would write the details of my day.  sometimes i wrote silly unimportant things and sometimes they were much more substantial.  either way it has been so entertaining to look back on.  sometimes i'll pull out those old day calendars and i tell will to pick a date over and over, i read to him what i wrote on that day and we usually end up laughing.  i religiously wrote that way through 2009.  with the only big gaps being in 2001 when my dad was in the hospital for 3 months and after his death....then again in 2009 after will and i got engaged because life got hectic as we planned for our wedding.  i regret not keeping detailed records during those events especially the happy times after will and i were engaged to be married.  i tried to start that way of documenting up again a few times but it doesn't last long which is a shame because even those mundane moments or few sentences become priceless things to look back on.  i still record all i can here or in various journals...especially ever's journal.  along those same lines i love old fashioned letter writing.  the longest i've been consistent pen pals with someone is with my friend {matthew}.  he is a gem of a person.  his letters and drawings always put a smile on my face and joy in my heart.  

3:: if i could meet and become friends with one celebrity it would be gwen stefani.  for so many years i've admired her.  i don't usually end up being overly impressed by celebrities because lets face it they are just people like you and i, but i think everything gwen does and signifies is just cool.  i've often had dreams that gwen and i meet and instantly we are the best of friends.  when will and i got married i knew i didn't want to have a traditional wedding plus i didn't want to wear a traditional dress.  i had my mind set on wearing something from gwen's fashion line l.a.m.b. and {i did}.  i'll never forget that when i was pregnant with ever i found out gwen would be releasing her harajuku mini clothing line with target and it was a very happy moment for me.  i managed to snag up almost every item i loved from that line and i certainly don't regret it especially now that two more little ladies get to enjoy those clothes.  slightly obsessed with gwen, her style, her music....maybe.

4:: the memory on my phone is almost always full.  it is so annoying when i open my camera to capture ever in a moment via video or photo and my phone says not enough storage.  i upload photos and videos to the computer often but i still have a hard time deleting my favorite images, texts, voicemails....so basically i'm a hoarder when it comes to those sorts of things.  every once in a while i force myself to clean old things out of my phone but before i know it i'm back at the not enough storage message.

5:: i have a hard time living in the moment.  it is not until after a time in my life passes that i can appreciate it for what it was.  i miss times that have passed even when i think they aren't so great as i am going through them i look back with the fondest of memories.  perfect example.....i went through some depression/really hard times after ever was born (for several months).  i wished the time away because i felt things would get easier the older she got and in many ways it did.  if i wasn't wishing time away i was thinking back to days before she arrived and wanting to time travel back because they were easier or better days in my mind.  in reality they weren't but that was what i thought in the midst of my tough spot.  now i think back on her early days and wish so badly i could go do them over.  i look at videos and pictures of her when she was so young and i see her in a different light.  i have noticed this quirk of mine for many years....you'd think i'd learn not to be that way anymore.
  
6:: i have expensive taste.  i could go to any website or visit any store and instantly be drawn to the most expensive item.  someone once told me i have champagne taste on a beer budget.  hopefully the beer budget part changes one day soon.  will and i laugh about how i am drawn to beautiful pricey items.

7:: i feel i could write an incredibly interesting book about the early years of my life.  there are things only a select few know about my younger years and the way i grew up.  it wasn't anything tragic but rather very different from the usual.  i like to think it shaped me into who i am today and gave me a true appreciation for tons of things that many take for granted.  our little family of four had an unmatched closeness due to the way things were.  maybe one day i'll elaborate more.  it took me a good year to start telling will my stories and sometimes he could hardly believe them.  by the same token but in a different way when it was just my mom, brother, and i living together we always talked about our home life could be recorded and end up a top rated reality show.  fun times i will always cherish.

8:: for several years we haven't paid for tv service in our home but thanks to amazon instant play i still enjoy my favorite shows.  there are lots of shows i like which i usually enjoy later through netflix but the ones i really get excited for and will pay to watch right away are modern family, american pickers, and the walking dead.

9:: i have always had a thing for makeup.  i loved watching people put makeup on when i was younger (i especially remember this with my grandmother L).  when i was 22 years old i was introduced to M.A.C and i became obsessed with all of their products.  little by little through my twenties i built up an impressive collection of makeup from M.A.C.  on occasion i did makeup for friends who were getting married or going to some sort of event.  upon my many trips to the nearest M.A.C in vegas i became friends with one of the ladies who worked there.  there's no greater confidence booster than to walk up to your favorite makeup counter and be complimented on your makeup by ladies who you are admiring for their skills. anyway mary was the one who i loved talking to the most when i'd be buying makeup and on several occasions she encouraged me to fill out and application and start working with her and all the other makeup gals.  one day she actually handed me an application along with her phone number and told me that since i didn't live in vegas i was welcome to come live with her on days that i'd be working there.  i still am in awe at her generous offer all these years later.  she didn't really know me other than our many interactions over the years but she was still willing to have me live with her in order to follow my makeup dreams.  she believed in me more than i believed in myself.  sometimes i wish i would have tried going down that road but then if i had i wouldn't have met will and ever wouldn't exist...and a world without her would be a very dull one.  so everything works out just as it should.  side note: i used to be much more adventurous with makeup colors and techniques.  now i tend to put on the same old things in a hurry while ever is being destructive around the house.  hopefully someday i'll find my sense of adventure with makeup again.

10:: i don't like to do the most trendy things and i don't like what everyone else is into at the moment.  for as long as i can remember i feel like i end up liking something and then before i know it the whole world loves it.  for instance you know how anthropologie is such a popular store especially among the blogging community?  well i was introduced to it by an older artist friend (who i plan to talk about in a later post) back in 2005.  i'll never forget my first trip to the store and how mesmerized i was by everything.  i bought an outfit that day that i still have and wear on occasion.  at that time i felt like anyone i mentioned anthropologie to had no idea what i was talking about.  also before will and i got married in 2009 i started to really like owls and they were part of the theme of our wedding.  before i knew it owls were everywhere and the next trendy thing which lessened my appeal to them.  i could tell you countless stories of times when i thought i was the trendsetter of something but then again it could be all in my imagination.  speaking of themes...i'm not a theme type person when it comes to decorating my house.  i just like a random mix of old, new, and colorful things.  {ever's room} is the perfect example.    

i love learning about people.....their stories. hearing how people {met and fell in love} is a favorite but really any little quirk or detail about someones life is incredibly fascinating to me.  with that being said i hope anyone who reads this and has a blog will tell me 10 things about them (even if we are already friends and you think i know everything) and leave a link in the comments.    

full of love

this morning ever woke up full of love.

within seconds of me going to grab her out of her crib this is what she said to me....

i wuv buddeah (buddha) and mask (mascara)

i wuv you.

i wuv papa.  where is he? hug a papa.

where's baby sisters? (pulls up my shirt)  i wuv them.

i wuv turtles.

i wuv ponies.  

and the list went on and on ranging from her toys to favorite movies and any other random thing that she could think of.    

{kissing her baby sisters}

everisms--chapter three

-"go faster honey!" she said this to will the last time we were all in the car together.  i guess she sides with me some days and she sides with him some days.

-when she sees a toothbrush, fork, or comb she calls them dinglehoppers. (can you tell she's been going through a little mermaid phase?).  i actually caught her combing her hair with will's toothbrush a few days ago.

-"i got you, i'll keep you safe." said this to our cat pellegrino while holding onto his tail.

-she was on my lap watching some youtube videos of little kid learning songs the other night.  she started dancing while sitting there then she grabbed my belly with both hands and started shaking it shouting "dance babies!"

-when she talks to the babies she thinks my belly has to be exposed for them to hear her so she'll lift my shirt to say what she needs to say and then she puts my shirt back down and says "bye babies".

-she's been going out on little dates with will lately and often they stop at the pet store since she is fascinated by animals.  after their last outing i asked her which kinds of animals she saw and her list went like this "i see birds, fishies, mermaids..."  what if she really thinks you can buy mermaids at the pet store?  i would like to pretend that it is true, although i think she saw a little mermaid aquarium decoration.

   

-ever likes when i sit on our bed and she holds my leg and pretends she's riding a horse.  she'll say "hold on tight" as i wildly flop her all over. she purposely lets go and falls then laughs.  as we were doing this i was calling her a drunken noodle (a favorite thai food dish of mine).  she thinks our little game is called drunken noodle and one day she kept telling me she wanted something while pointing to the bed but i couldn't understand what it was.  i finally figured it out and she was so happy.  

she calls our game "drunken noodle-loo" 

everisms chapter one here.

everisms chapter two here.

drama at breakfast

this was the breakfast scene over the weekend.

ever was being dramatic.  she wanted to hold her yogurt but that almost always means she dumps it on her head and massages it into her face.  i actually love when she is like this.....determined and dramatic.  when she thrashes around throwing a fit...i don't like that so much.  but this is actually cute.  she pretends her world is over because we won't let her make a giant mess. 

she got over it pretty fast as you can see.  

yes her halloween pajamas still fit so she proudly wears them, even if it is may.

i have watched this little video so many times because it makes me laugh.  

20 week ultrasound of the twins

hello 20 week twin belly.

and here is what my 22 week belly looked like with ever.

before my ultrasound appointment yesterday i wanted to try to get some family pictures but ever wasn't in the mood.  she had to play with a glue stick that she kept putting in my mouth so i gave up on getting the perfect shot and went with these...because that is what you do with a two year old who has her own ideas.

we told ever to smile for this family picture and she blew a raspberry at the camera instead.  

that's our girl.  

and here are our other girls....the tops of their heads anyway.  

yesterdays ultrasound was the highlight of my day, besides the part where i thought i might pee my pants from holding in 48 oz. of water.  it was on another level of uncomfortable...nothing like the time i did that when pregnant with ever.  once i got past that part i was able to enjoy watching my two littlest ladies dance around on the screen.  i kept being paranoid that we'd find out at least one baby is a boy now that we already have our minds set on two more girls and have names picked out.  they are both still girls.  they are growing really well and appear to be completely healthy.  i had a fear that one of them might be growing way better than the other because that can happen with twins but they were almost exactly the same size and they were both the size that a single baby should be at this point.  no wonder i already feel so big and uncomfortable.  when the ultrasound began both of them were laying horizontally with their heads towards the right side of my body but by the end they had both flipped to have their heads on the right side of my body.  it seems they already like to do things together.  baby a was just as wiggly and feisty as she was in the last ultrasound.  baby b was more cooperative and that is why i only have a clear picture of her face.  

those obsessed parents

yesterday will and i were able to spend the day out of town with friends.  ever stayed with my mom.  we had a fun relaxing time.  it was nice to get a break from the usual and be out and about on our own besides the two babies kicking in my belly.  by the way their kicks are getting stronger and more obvious...even visible on occasion (my most favorite thing).  

when ever was brand new to us i have to admit that i went through a period of time where i missed it just being me and will.  i would think back on our carefree days of just the two of us and wish for the same kind of fun and freedom with such an intensity.  that has all changed though.  any time we get out just the two of us we always talk about how we miss ever and coming home to her is one of the greatest things.  but yesterday we both really missed her in such a strong different way.  i told will how we just don't seem to feel complete without her by our sides.  sure she can frustrate us quicker than anyone on the planet but her craziness is a part of us and it balances out our tight knit circle.  it is hard to imagine two more babies as part of that mix right now, but i told will there is going to be a day that we are going to feel the exact same way about the next two members of our family.  i remember my parents (especially my mom) having such a hard time being away from brandon and i when we were growing up.  will and i have become those exact same obsessed parents, and i couldn't be happier about it.  

when we got home ever was so wound up and hilarious.  she was the most wild and silly she has been in all her days and it was the greatest thing....along with the way she hugged both will and i and told us she missed us.

(just one of the many funny pictures my mom sent me from their adventures yesterday)

everisms--chapter two

-"stop it honey!"  she blurted this out a few times in the car yesterday when will accelerated faster than she wanted him to.  usually she is saying "faster" to him so i think she was copying what i usually say for my sake.  i hear she says faster most when i'm not in the car.  

- i heard her making kissing noises in her carseat.  i turn around to see her pushing two parts of her skirt together so that the jellyfish on the print of her skirt was kissing the mermaid.  

-"spring chicken"  on my birthday she randomly said this.  will said she was trying to tell me i'm no longer a spring chicken but i like to believe she was telling me that i actually am a spring chicken.

-several times a day ever asks to hug, kiss, or talk to her baby sisters.  she lifts my shirt and says "hello baby sisters" or "oh so sweet" while hugging my belly.  the other night she surprised us with a new little thing.  she pretended to take a bite of my belly and said "mmmmm babies good".  i asked her what the babies tasted like and she said "cake".  so i guess i'm baking two sweet cakes in my belly. 

-every time she sneezes lately she says "excuse me" in the cutest lady like way.  

-first thing in the morning ever usually makes me laugh with some of the things she says or does.  another thing i've noticed particularly in the morning is that she says "um" when i ask her a question followed by a long pause and then an answer.  she also recently started saying yep frequently.  will and i don't say that so i'm not sure how she started that one.  one morning our conversation went like this:

me: did you sleep good?

ever: um....yes.

me: do you want to go get some breakfast?

ever: um....yep.

me: are you pretty?

ever: um.....yep. 

me: is mama pretty?

ever: yep.

me: are your baby sisters pretty?

ever: (long pause) no fanks.

i laughed so hard. 

i'll leave you with this video.  ever loves to always say "bees a buzzin".

she picked this up from the song on frozen that olaf sings about summer.  i think he says bees buzz but she gave it her own flare.  

the difference 5 years makes

last night will grabbed food from one of my favorite places so we could have a peaceful dinner at home.  as i sat in the car trying to keep ever entertained with crazy faces and dance moves i had a flashback moment.  i remembered that 5 years earlier i had gone to dinner at the same place with my family and will.  will and i were dating at the time.  then it all hit me....how much has changed in the last 5 years.  at the time i had dinner there on my 29th birthday i never imagined will and i would be married later that year.  nor did i imagine that 5 years later we would have a two year old and twins on the way.  it is pretty crazy how things unfold and how we never know what is right around the corner.  i've been all kinds of nostalgic since that moment of realization.  listening to music from our dating days and wedding only reinforce my sentimental feelings and maybe i cried a time or two driving around town today (i blame the twins).  

 

happy 34th

my day started with this card will made for me.  i laughed and cried a little at the things he wrote.  it was just the sort of creative thing i love.  

not too long after that my sweet friend aleasha came over with these pretty flowers in a super cool vase, along with fancy cupcakes, and the sweetest card.  i'm a total card lover.

right after that bobbie and mia came over bearing cute gifts and another great card.

my present from will arrived after that.  i had been mentioning that i really wanted a fancy mirror with a light to do my makeup so he hooked me up.  he said there are a couple other little things that'll be showing up soon too.  i love the gift note he included.

no birthday is complete without a letter and drawings from my beloved matthew.  he has been spoiling both ever and i with his amazing letters lately.  

 and just for fun here is an 18/almost 19 week twin baby bump picture.  ever had just poked her eye while working on a million birthday drawings for me so she wasn't in the mood to be set down.  i can't complain that she is hiding some of my largeness either.  

i couldn't get over how funny and sweet ever was today...it was as if she really knew it was my special day.  she went on and on telling me happy birthday and drawing me birthday pictures and saying hilarious things.  i love that little creature so much!