July & August Catch-up

 Since the girls' birthday it seems like the summer has flown by!  I feel like there aren't enough hours in the day but I guess that is the way it has been since they were born.  We have so many things we want to cram in each day.  Here is a very brief overview of what we have been up to.   Get ready for picture overload. We went to the lake with Grammy & Papa to celebrate daddy's birthday.  The girls loved driving the boat and Reagan even tubed with daddy behind the boat, sadly I didn't have my camera so I will post those when I get them from Grammy.  It was a fun weekend.

 Renna & Daddy driving the boat.

 I worked the week of 4th of July so the girls got to spend several days at my parents!  They loved their days on the farm.  We spent the day of the fourth out there doing fireworks and playing with our cousins.  The girls seemed to really enjoy the fireworks this year and weren't too nervous about the noise!

 Lovin their sparklers!

 Watching daddy and Uncle Ray's fireworks show with papa, Sara, and Aunt Janice.

 They also had their first visit to the dentist since they are such big 3 yr. olds now!  The picture is very deceiving because it is the end where they are all done and they got pink timers.  Lets just say that the dentist said their teeth looked great but not sure how he could tell through all the screaming! For some reason they got very scared when they had to sit in the chair. So glad mom could go with me and hold one while I held the other one down.  Hopefully our next visit will go smoother.

 We went to the Drive-in movie with my parents and my niece and nephew.  We saw Madagascar 3 and it was so much fun.  We enjoyed sitting outside in the back of Papa's truck and eating tons of snacks that Grandma brought.  What a sweet cousin picture of Reagan, Sara, Renna, and Gage.

 Our next big adventure was going back to my hometown to spend four days with some close friends and attend the Woodward Elks Rodeo!  We stayed with our friends The Taylor family.  The girls had a blast playing with Zach and Zoey.  It was so great to see them bond and have fun since I used to babysit Zach and Zoey when I was in High school and college.  What a sweet family.  Thanks so much for letting us come stay Kellie & Kyle.  We had so much fun and love you guys so much.  Here is Zoey and Renna showing off their pink streaks Zoey put in their hair! Such glamorous gals!

 Zoey braiding Reagan's hair.  We wished we lived closer so we could see them more often.

 Zach and Renna playing basketball.

 We went to the Rodeo and parade with one of my best friends (Chandra) from highschool and college and her sweet family.  Here are the girls before the parade started...Lilly, Sophia, Renna, and Reagan. Not pictured is sweet Evelyn sleeping in the car.

 Eagerly awaiting the candy.  We also got to spend some time with Chandra's family at her parents home.  We had a great time swimming. Thanks so much for having us over Doug & Theresa.

 The girls were mesmerized by the huge longhorns...look how closely they walked to us.  It was pretty amazing I must admit.

 The girls in their rodeo dress best!

 All the girls waiting to get more snacks from my purse.  The rodeo was about 3 hrs. long and they all did really well. We had a fantastic time.

 On our way home we decided to take the girls to Alabaster Caverns State park.  I grew up near it so we went a lot.  It was really fun to be able to share that fun experience with my own family.  The girls did great. They really liked hiking through the cave and excitedly talked to the tour guide about what shapes they could see in the rocks.  It was truly a fun little vacation.  Here is Renna outside the cave being a bat!

 Reagan the Bat

 I had to post this picture since it is truly a glimpse at a day in our life!  The girls have become obsessed with dressing up in "beautiful princess dresses" as Renna says.  It has become their new reward for napping well...they get to dress up if they do nap!! Here is just one of the many gorgeous princess ensembles.  Thanks to our princess party we now have plenty of outfits to dress up in.  What a fun imagination these ladies are starting to have.

 I know everyone will be surprised but we got two more animals!! Baby kitties!! The girls love them so much.  We have had so much fun playing with them in the barn.  They will hopefully follow in our other barn cat Ivan's footsteps and be great mousers.  Adam delivered these kittens by c-section and we got them back in 6 wks when they were weaned.  It was fun surprising the girls with them.  We took them down to the barn and told them there was a surprise and let them find the pet carrier with kittens inside.  These pics are right after they got them.  Such excited faces.  Here is Renna and her kitty, Ike!

Reagan and her kitty, Mike.  Yes, we named them Mike & Ike...it goes so perfectly with Ivan our other cat.  So far they haven't asked to bring them to the house and they seem to be staying at the barn really well.  I must say they are the best kittens I have ever seen as far as letting two 3yr. olds drag them around.  And of course they even ride the golf cart with us.  Renna keeps asking to let Ike ride the horse with her...don't think they are that good!! The first day Renna kept asking "Will my baby kitty still be little when we go back down to the barn?" Adorable!  I will try to post more regularly as we have exciting days ahead.  The girls are starting Pre-School one day a week very soon and starting Lil Tap & Hip Hop class as well.  I guess our fall will be just as busy but we are loving every minute!

Evelyn's Crew

 Last September one of my best friends from high school (and throughout my life since), Chandra, gave birth to this precious little girl, Evelyn Joy.  She has been such a light and joy to their life and everyone around them.  Chandra has been one of the best friends a girl could ask for. She is one of those friends God gives you to help you get through life and encourage you at every turn! She has been there with me through all of the major milestones in my life since high school and the wonderful part is we continue to be there for each other as we raise our little girls. She was there for me as I endured the months with the girls in the NiCU and I want to help support her in the same way. Sweet Evelyn has Downs Syndrome and is pretty much the sweetest happiest baby I have ever been around.  On September 29 this year they are celebrating Evelyn's first year of life by doing the Buddy walk to raise awareness and funds for the Down Syndrome Association.  Such a wonderful cause and organization.  My girls love little Evelyn, especially my Renna.  Here is Renna holding her!  She would sit with her forever and love on her.  Renna has even named her favorite baby doll, Evelyn. Most anyone who knows us will see us going all over the place with Renna's Evelyn in her arms!! Such a sweet love she has for this precious baby!  Please help us support this cause in anyway that you can.  The girls and I will be walking in the Buddy walk as members of Evelyn's Crew on September 29.  Please visit the link below and help us in anyway that you can.

http://www.razoo.com/story/Evelyn-S-Crew?referral_code=share

More pictures of our busy July and August to come soon!  Don't give up on me!!  Just a busy summer it has been.

Our Little Princesses Turn 3!

Our Little Princesses recently turned 3!! I cannot believe how these last three years have flown by.  We are so blessed to have these little miracles and we have loved every second.  The girls wanted a princess party this year...so get ready to see lots of princesses!  Here is the table for the party, Adam's mom helped do most all of the decor and my mom helped make the Krispie Treat wands that we sent home as party favors.  Thanks for your help Grammy and Grandma.  I don't know what we would do without you.  Didn't Grammy do great on the tissue balls?

On their actual birthday Adam and I took them out to eat and get ice cream cones! When we got home we let them open most of their presents from us.  Here is Reagan showing off her new riding helmet!

Renna modeling her new cowboy boots. See how excited she is about it?  We also got the girls each their first "barbie." They were actually Sleeping Beauty and Belle.  Reagan is totally in love with hers and carries it with her everywhere.

Renna on party day dressed as Aurora, which is Sleeping Beauty's name for all who don't know.  They chose who they wanted to dress like.  We thought they would only wear these costumes at the beginning of the party but they wore them the whole time...it was like 3 hours!!  Even in the heat a Princess needs to look her best I guess.

Reagan answering the door for the first party guests.  She is dressed as Belle and is of course carrying her Belle barbie with her.  The girls really got excited about their party this year and were really excited once people started coming.  We pretty much never use our front door so it was exciting for them to open it and see people arriving.

Our little princesses seeing their cakes of the first time!

Adam sister again made their cakes. Didn't she do a fantastic job?  Thanks Aunt Lindsay, you always exceed our expectations. You can kind of see the wands I made in the background...they were super yummy!

Our quick family photo

Belle eating her hot dog on the go in the backyard.

Aurora climbing up to her castle slide!!

Blowing out their candles!  I was so impressed because they needed no help this year...such big ladies!

  A little sisterly love.  So precious.  It never gets old seeing them kiss each other.

We opened lots and lots of presents! Their friends were very generous.  We still haven't opened all of our gifts to play with yet.  I have stashed them away to open slowly so it is more fun.

Cake eating time

So the big gift we splurged for was a saddle for the girls to ride Payday. My parents split the cost of it with us so it was a Grandma, Papa, Mommy, and Daddy gift! Of course we looked for the last month trying to find the perfect one and the girls kept requesting a pink one! Shocking!! So you guessed it, we got them a pink one...and I think they were truly surprised because we kept telling them we didn't know if they made pink saddles!  Here is Renna taking the first official ride in their saddle. She was so speechless when she saw it that all she would do is point and reach for it.  They did not each get a saddle in case their is any question...they will be sharing it.

The saddle in all its glory.  Poor Payday did wonderful giving all the kids a ride that evening.  Not sure how thrilled he was to be wearing pink but he got lots of love so didn't seem to mind.

Belle riding in the saddle!  It was a great party and made me so happy to see the girls running and playing with their friends.  Can't wait to see what this year has in store for us.  On another note Reagan is finally wearing big girl panties for the past week and a half!!! Yeah!! It has been a long year of trying but she seems to be finally getting it. Way to go Reagan!! We are so proud of her and are super excited to be saving money on diapers now.  I guess our little girls truly are growing up as they seem to remind me everyday.

First Family Vacation...and a Horse??

 We recently took our first family vacation!! We have been to the lake once or twice but always staying with family and have never taken the girls on a trip with just the four of us....did I mention the girls had never stayed in a hotel??  So...off we went to stay at Great Wolf Lodge.  We had a great 5 days away!! I must admit I was nervous about how the girls would sleep since they rarely sleep away from home and it usually doesn't go well. Or at least they stay up super late and wake up super early with lots of crying in between. The girls' did wonderful and even slept in a "big girl bed" together!  Now don't ask me what time they went to bed but it didn't matter because we were on vacation.  For some reason the blog uploaded backwards so the pictures are a little out of order, but we also came home with a new...HORSE!!! YEAH!!! His name is Payday and we love him so much. We hadn't planned on bringing home a horse but a friend in Texas that we went to visit helped us find him and he was too perfect to pass up. Thanks so much Dr. Alton, Sara, and Dr. Howell!  He is the best kid horse and we all love him so much. He has already traveled with us out to my parents to spend three days riding out on the farm...more pictures of him will definitely be in the future.  Here is Renna standing with him before we loaded him up to bring him home. Can you tell how happy she is?

 Here are the girls riding Payday at home one evening...it is pretty much a common evening activity now.

 Since it was our first vacation as a family we indulged a little and ate a lot of ice cream!!! We love Dairy Queen...especially mommy!

 Walking down the hall at Great Wolf Lodge.  The girls were totally intrigued by the idea of the hotel and Reagan kept calling it a "Ho-Tay"??  It was really funny.  Also if you ask Reagan where we got her horse she will say a "Ho-Tay in Texas!!"  Adam had already  explained to them the day we left that every time we go on vacation we do NOT come home with a new horse! ha! ha!!

 The highlight of vacation for Adam was going to his first Cabellas store!  Good times! He spent over two hours in there if you can believe it.  The girls and I enjoyed it too but only for about an hour then we had enough.

 We also went to the Grapevine Aquarium and it was really fun.  It had lots of different stuff for the kids to climb in or under.  We all enjoyed it.

 The girls up under a tank.  They thought that was great great fun.

 Renna in her Wolf ears.  We enjoyed the waterpark but honestly the water was a little cold for the girls and mommy too!  Renna was a daredevil as usual and did all the big slides by herself, even when she would flip on her tummy and Adam would pull her out gasping for breath...she would say "Wanna go again!"  That is my brave girl...she gets that from Adam not me!

 Reagan in her wolf ears.  So sweet and cute!  She didn't want to go down the slides without me and they don't allow you to go with them.  So we mainly did the splash areas and the lazy river which is just my speed anyways.

 Apparently we never got pics in their swimsuits except for this one.  We were afraid to take our nice camera down to the pool...so here is one bathing beauty!

  Reagan looking annoyed in her carseat. We drove all over Dallas/Ft. Worth so we spent a lot of time in the car. Thank goodness for DVD players and movies.  The girls really did well.   Especially on the way home with the horse trailer when we had to go 60mph the whole way home!

 We went to the Ft. Worth Zoo on Mother's Day.  It was a gorgeous day and a wonderful zoo.  We had a ton of fun. Here is Adam trying to point out a baby giraffe.

 So I said we indulged...we let the girls ride a carousel which we usually don't do.  They loved it sooo much.  Reagan wanted to ride the brown one that looked like Payday because we had went to visit and ride him for the first time the day before.

 Renna stayed true to my family roots and chose the paint horse.  We still have one paint horse at our house now named Ebony and she has become great friends with Payday.

 Mommy and Reagan on the carousel.

 Had to post these last two because they are my favorite ones from the trip.  I just love their excited smiles.  It truly makes all the work of a vacation totally worth it to see these little smiles.  Hopefully there will now be more vacations in our future since we know we can get a little sleep away from home...lookout world we might become worldwide travelers...within driving distance of course!

Renna on the carousel.  We had an amazing first family vacation that we will always remember.  We need to say thank you to daddy for giving in to his three ladies and letting us bring home a new horse. What a phenomenal time:  staying up late, ice cream, fish, zoo, swimming, carousel, and a horse...pretty much your typical vacation! Right?  Who knows what we will come home with from our next trip?  We are now preparing for the big 3rd birthday party.  I am sure after we recover from the party there will be a huge blog picture overload! Stay tuned!

Team Laughlin Twins March For Babies

 On May 5 we participated again in the March of Dimes March for Babies!  This was our third year to have Team Laughlin Twins and it was another great year.  We had 16 adults and 13 kids who came to support us and walk for such a great cause.  The best part is we raised about $1900 for babies who are born too soon and their families!! Way to go Team Laughlin Twins!!  Adam and I were again overwhelmed by all the love and generosity of our friends and families.  We cannot thank all of you enough.  We had a beautiful day for the walk and enjoyed lunch at the park together afterwards.  Here is our only family pic we managed to get.  Reagan's glasses become sunglasses outside so unfortunately all of her pictures have dark eyes.

 Renna playing with Ava and Natalie.

 All the kids were so excited to see that Mickey Mouse stopped by before the walk.  Renna shook his hand but Reagan only wanted to watch from afar.

 What kids benefit is complete without a visit from Elmo!!

 I managed to get a picture of all the cousins together.  Isaac, Avery, Reagan, Renna, Gage, & Sara.  Can't believe we got all of them to stand still that long to get a picture.

 Here is Team Laughlin Twins ready to Walk for healthier babies!

Renna and Reagan strolling during the walk.  Thanks again everyone who walked with us or donated to our team.  The walk further reminds me every year how lucky we are to have these little miracle babies so happy and healthy.  Stay tuned for more pictures of our first ever family vacation!!

March of Dimes Walk

 My little happy ladies sliding together outside!  Seeing these happy healthy faces makes me so happy.  I cannot believe how far we have come in almost three years. For those who don't know our story you can read the beginning of the blog, but in short our girls were born prematurely at only 28 wks gestation.  So basically 3 months early!  Renna Ann weighed 2lbs. 15oz and Reagan Kate weighed 2 lbs. 10oz.  Renna went on to require heart surgery at about 3 wks of age and Reagan had some GI issues requiring rectal biopsies and both received countless blood transfusions and other life saving treatments. I am proud to say they are doing really well and are two perfectly healthy happy little girls. We will be doing our third annual Team Laughlin Twins March for Babies at the March of Dimes walk this weekend.  We are walking to celebrate our healthy little miracles and to help raise money to support the research that saved their lives and continues to save babies lives' each day.  If you can help support us in any way visit our team website at: http://www.marchforbabies.org//team/t1740252.  Here are a few pictures from their almost 3 month stay in the NICU.

 Renna at about 1 month of age

 Reagan about 6 weeks old

My little ladies at about 6 weeks old, getting to wear clothes for the first time!! Look how huge the preemie outfits were on them.  Please help us support the March of Dimes and their cause in anyway that you can.  We are so blessed to be the parents of these wonderful children and we want to help out any other parents who may be going through the same health struggles.  Visit our team page:http://www.marchforbabies.org//team/t1740252