The "New" Family Vehicle

Well, my loving husband voluntarily gave up his beloved pickup truck so we could get "the family vehicle." We have actually survived decently with the little Saturn Ion and pickup for the last couple months. Our poor dog hasn't been able to go anywhere with us, but the four of us have ventured out and utilized creative packing during trips to Costco.

No more tight rides and jammed cabs of groceries...look at this monster. Here's our GMC Yukon XL....



We have been looking for a good used Suburban with low miles and a reasonable price (under $30,000 - yes isn't that crazy for a used vehicle). We were lucky to find the GMC version of the Suburban meeting the above criteria and not giving up the luxuries Matt loved about his truck (leather, heated seats, XM, tow package, etc). And everyone fits - VERY COMFORTABLY!

Now we're ready for those family road trips!!!!

Our Weekend with the Boys

I love this shot of both boys. Don't they look so much alike?

Joseph (left)

Jacob (right)

And check out Jacob's left eyebrow. That is so Matt (I can't raise one eyebrow like that).

Joseph (left) and Jacob (right)

Joseph (left) and Jacob (right)

We're loving this sunny and warm weather. Here are the boys after a walk through the neighborhood.Joseph (left) and Jacob (right)

Two Month Weigh-In

The boys were wide awake this morning in anticipation of their doctor's visit....

Joseph and Jacob ready to go

Jacob doing "Tummy Time" on Joseph

"Okay, Mom, let's go!"

AND THE RESULTS-----

Joseph weighs in at 11 lbs 8 oz

Jacob weighs in at 10 lbs 8 oz

Here's Matt with the boys after being checked out by the doctor. The boys are very healthy and as you can tell, gaining good weight!!!

Two Months Old!!!

We're two months old today!! And aren't we getting big....

Jacob and Joseph

Jacob and Joseph

Joseph doing "tummy time" on Matt - isn't he getting strong?

And here's some other cute photos from the last couple days...

Joseph


Jacob

Joseph and Jacob

Joseph and Jacob showing off their t-shirts and big bellies

A Trip Down Memory Lane....Our Wedding

This is for our dear friend, Melissa, who has been there for Matt and I since the beginning of our relationship. Here is a link to two sets of photos on Flickr.com that show hundreds of photos from our wedding. These are not the ones from the official photographer (though just as good) but were taken by our good friend, Brian Snabes.

Enjoy, everyone (you may be in some of these photos if you were there)!!!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/trulytam/sets/72157600005068144/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/trulytam/sets/72157600005115423/

All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go

Jacob (left) and Joseph (right) in Baby Gap

The boys will be 2 months old on Sunday and they are now just getting big enough to wear the 0-3 month clothing and not look ridiculous. So even though we had no place to go and no visitors, I had to put these outfits on Joseph and Jacob. Aren't they cute?

Man's (& Babies') Best Friend

Our beautiful golden retriever Rusty has been such a great dog around the babies. He was definitely overwhelmed when they first arrived home...lots of new noises, smells, equipment around the house! But now he is very gentle and protective around the babies, always looking over them.

Identical Twins

Oh no...I have found myself getting the boys confused in the last couple days. I'm not sure if it's because I am so darn tired or they are looking more and more alike. What do you think? Time to break out the nail polish on the toes?

How Things Change

We are quickly realizing how babies take over your life and house! We're slowing losing real estate in our living room as more "baby stuff" acculumate. You probably saw in an earlier post the two swings that we needed. We also have a Graco playpen and double bassinet plus change table in the living room. Of course, we have a change table/dresser with the two cribs upstairs. Now as we are learning how important the babies need "tummy time" - we have two playmats on the floor also.

The need to finish the basement for additional living space if fast approaching!

Jacob and Joseph on their new mats for Tummy Time

Joseph working out

Jacob working out

Joseph resting

Jacob resting

It's a bit crowded for both babies on one mat!

Photos from our Trip to Minnesota

Well we have arrived back safely in Michigan late last night. It's good to be home but now we're trying a new routine. Matt went to work this morning and I am home with the babies alone. I was going to attempt some errands today with the boys but as there is rain/sleet/snow falling with icy roads, I think that I'll just stay put.

Here's some more photos from our trip. If you want to see all the photos, you can visit my photo album at http://www.flickr.com/photos/trulytam/sets/72157594563963032/

Joseph and Jacob napping at Bob and Shonna's
Matt watching TV with our niece Anna

Jacob finished with Bath - all clean!

Joseph finished with Bath

Family photo

We stopped off in Chicago to visit my friend Wendy who I've known since childhood. Unfortunately, we missed her husband David who I went to college with as we were trying to stay ahead of the winter weather on the way home last night (Sorry David!).

Matt and Jacob - feeding time in the truck at a rest area late last night.

Joseph with me in the truck.

Snowy Minnesota

On a sudden whim, Matt and I ventured out on our first road trip with the babies to visit family in Minnesota. Matt is going back to work soon so we decided to pack the boys up in the pickup truck and take a quick trip while we had the opportunity. It was crowded and a bit of a drive but the boys handled in great and we've been catching up with as many people as possible. So as some of you can tell, I've been out of touch by both phone and internet for the last week or so because we are in the middle of God's country (nowhere)!

We ventured into "town" for an errand so I have a short time on the internet. Here's a sampling of photos. I hope to post more when we get home on Thursday.

Bath Time - Look how big we're getting!!

Matt's brother (Uncle Bob) with the boys

Four Generations of Stroms
Matt's mom and the boys

Friends Ben and Lisa with their son Miles and the twins!

Our niece Anna with the boys

Life At Home

Well, the babies have been home for a week and a half. They're growing quickly and still as beautiful as ever. They had their first pedatrician appointment on February 2nd - Joseph weighed in at 6 lbs 2 oz and Jacob at 5 lbs 12 oz. And they've grown even more since then!

Sleep is very precious right now as the boys' feeding schedule dictates our entire day.

We were lucky to have Matt's mom and dad staying with us since the beginning of January. Donna (Matt's mom) kept the house amazingly clean, provided delicious meals at all sorts of hours, baked lots of cookies and even painted our downstairs bathroom with this fantastic suade texture. The babies received lots of love and attention from Grandpa and Grandma and we were all very sad to see them go back to Minnesota on Thursday.

So Matt and I were on our own with the boys this past weekend. We ventured out on a couple quick roadtrips. Friday, we had lunch at a Greek restaurant on the way to a special grocery store where everything is organic. Saturday, we went to Babies R'Us to get a few things including diapers (which we are going through like mad). Joseph and Jacob pretty much sleep whenever we go out and then when we get back, they're wide awake and we're ready for a nap.

We love when they are awake and alert. They have so much personality already! Check out these characters....

The above photos were just a few of many we took one day just trying to capture all their adorable expressions. Thanks to my sister Tanya and her husband Dave, we now have a flickr account where we are posting all the photos. If you want to check them all out, here's the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14484357@N00/sets/

Homecoming Pictures

The boys have been alarm free since Saturday, eating twice as much as a week ago, and both have gained excellent weight! So home we go....

Jacob and Joseph bundled up and ready to go.

Jacob

Joseph

Joseph was discharged with a remarkable weight of 5 lbs 7 oz and Jacob reached 5 lbs 4 oz. We are all home now, had lunch and are ready for naps!!!