Better Late Than Never

Sorry we didn't wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day. I just barely loaded my camera on to the computer with these pictures on it. Hope you all had a day filled with love!

Still Waiting

I had an ultrasound yesterday and was hoping that the Dr. would be able to tell what we were having. He said it was still to early. Other than that the babies are fine and their heartbeat was strong. We'll keep you posted.

I love to read!

Aspen loves to read. She could read all day long. What she is saying is beyond me but I think she knows more than we think. The other day I was pointing to pictures in a book and she was repeating what I said. I hadn't gotten to one of the pictures yet and she pointed and said, "Chocolate!" We don't even give her that much candy and never a whole candy bar so I wondered how that was the one picture she knew without needing me to say it first. I guess better that she is looking at chocolate than the gun magazine Daren is reading. What was he thinking?

I don't think we have ever posted any pictures of Yoda for those of you who have never seen him. We think he looks more like a bat or a lama or a seal if you pin his ears back. He was even smaller when we got him and all ears, hence the name. We got him a couple of years ago for Aspen to have someone to play with and to teach her to be more gentle. They play tug o war sometimes but mostly just respect each other's space. I have never been a dog person but ironically he has become "my" dog. He is very well behaved, cuddly and only barks out of protectiveness. He doesn't bark if no one is home. He now weighs a whopping 3 and a half pounds. We love him and are glad to have him as part of the family.

P.S. I had an ultrasound yesterday and everything looks good. We should be able to find out what we are having in two weeks. Because of their heart rates the Dr. thinks they are both the same gender and most likely identical. We shall see.

Thank you!

We just wanted to thank everyone for all of their support. It has meant so much to us and helped immensely. We are doing well. I still find it hard every time I see something that belonged to the girls but hopefully with time this will get easier. We appreciate and love you all.

The legal system stinks!

Just an update on our court date. It did not go well. Everyone was already pretty much set on sending the girls home. It really didn't much matter what I said. It was pretty sad because the girls were already gone so we didn't even get to say good-bye. There is a follow up team that will be meeting with her family twice a week through the end of Feb. and then she has court the beginning of April to see if the State is ready to close the case.

Our house is very quiet and we are truly and deeply going to miss them. I have felt much comfort from my Heavenly Father and from the support of friends and family. I am grateful to know that for whatever reason this is part of His greater plan. Thank you for all the support you have given us during this stressful and difficult time in our lives.

Christmas in Omaha

We just stayed here this year and it was nice and relaxing. I think we have gotten more snow earlier than the other years we have been here. This picture was taken at the Kanesville Tabernacle in Council Bluffs, IA which was a fun historical site to visit. They had a gingerbread house and Christmas tree display. Aspen got her picture taken with Santa at a Christmas party we went to at Children's Hospital. The twins were sick every time we wanted to go. Hopefully we will get a chance next year. I am guessing this is the year they would have been really freaked out anyway. We had the twins for Christmas Eve and they had to go on a visit Christmas Day so we did some things early. Their court date is actually the 9th which is this Wednesday. We are anxious to see what the judge has to say but fear that most of the other people involved intend for the girls to go home. We wanted to avoid this if possible but it seems likely. We are still anticipating that their mom won't want to or be able to handle the situation for long. We will keep you posted. My next Dr. appt is this Tuesday. I will probably get more ultrasound photos as he said he wanted to do one every two weeks. The babies will have really grown so it will be fun to see the changes. We are hoping to know the genders by around 16 weeks. Life is never boring at our house. I guess that is good. It keeps us out of trouble.