So In Love

I look at these two sweet faces and I am so in love...

I was nervous about having twins while already having three others running around the house.  Then I was nervous about having twin boys.  But these two just melt my heart.  We are so blessed to have these two sweeties in our lives.  It is hard to pull myself away from their smiling faces when I have so many things to get done.  Of course they have their fussy moments and are double the work and it takes some time and wears me out, but they are such good little boys and I can't imagine them not being part of our family now.  They bring so much joy to all of us!

And we just found that they are identical twins!  I surprised Andrew and sent off for a DNA test.  I got the kit in the mail when we got back from Dallas.  I had to do eight cheek swabs on each of them at different times during the day and then mail it back to the company.  About a week later I got an email that said this.

"We are pleased to report to you the results of the twin zygosity test that you requested. Analysis of the DNA indicates that Miles Farwell and Bennett Farwell are monozygotic, or more commonly referred to as identical twins.
We first isolated DNA from cheek cells from the swab kits that were returned to our lab. We amplified the DNA using a technique called PCR. Next, we analyzed 15 standard DNA markers used in human identity (D3S1358, TH01, D21S11, D18S51, Penta-E, D5S818, D13S317, D7S820, D16S539, CSF1PO, Penta-D, vWA, D8S1179, TPOX and FGA) and determined that the highly variable DNA markers were the same for both twins. Thus, there is greater than a 99.9% probability that the twins are monozygotic."

We thought there was a good chance they could be, but it is fun to know for sure now.  Some fun facts about identical twins is that it is not a genetic thing that is passed down through the family.  Scientists are not sure why it happens, but it does.  The chance of having identical twins is about 1 in 250.  They can sometimes share their own language and when they have kids of their own, those kids will have the genetic make-up of half siblings rather than first cousins.  I'm sure we are in for some fun with these two.  They are getting bigger-we think around 12 pounds each.  And both have rolled over from their stomachs to their backs.  And they are actually sleeping through the night.  It has been over a week now and they are doing pretty well.  I also have been putting them in their bumbos a little.  They don't last very long but I feel like it is strengthening their necks a little.

Last week I got to enjoy some nice gifts.  My parents gave me three house cleanings for Christmas and birthday, so I cashed in on one of them last week.  It was wonderful.  Thanks Mom and Dad.  And then the next day, two friends, Annie and Sharon, came over to watch Lincoln and the twins while I got to have a massage.  They gave me a gift certificate for one when I had the babies.  It was very relaxing and enjoyable.  Then I picked up Ellie and Andrew and we went to eat lunch with Jackson at his school.  He has been wanting us to do this for a long time and he was so excited to have us there.  And I thought it was good for Ellie to experience a little bit of it before she heads off to school there next year.  It was so nice of Annie and Sharon to watch the kids and I was so thankful!  But the sad part was that Lincoln was in a bad mood when I left and he was cuddled up with Sharon when I got home.  They said he had fallen asleep and by the time I got home, he had a fever.  After a couple doses of medicine and another nap, he was all better and wanting to play outside.

Last Friday, Ellie got to hang out with Sharon and her daughter, Kiersten.  Sharon ended up taking the girls to get some ice cream and to see the chicks at Farm and Home.  She sent me this picture of Ellie with a chick.

Then last weekend Kaitlin, Zane and Owen came into town and surprised us with the announcement that she is pregnant!  And if all goes well with Amanda, they will probably be due around the same time-next November.  Crazy!  Last weekend was also St. Patrick's day.  Ellie and Jackson were so excited for the silly leprechauns to come again.  They think it is funny when the family room is all messed up along with green milk and green water in the toilet.  They were up early that morning though, since they were going out to the ranch with Andrew.  I usually try to get a picture of all of them in their St. Patrick's Day green but that didn't really work out this year.  Lissy got the twins their fun onsies.  And Ellie's outfit was more fit for the cooler weather I thought we would be having, so at the last minute I made one of those felt shamrocks that was floating around Pinterest and pinned onto a white t-shirt for her.

When Andrew was out at the ranch, they did some burning.  I guess he let Jackson help them because he sent me this picture..

Jackson thought it was a lot of fun helping control the burn.  Jackson has been gearing up for his birthday too.  He finally decided on a Beyblade party.  The other night he decided to draw his own Beyblade.  He said it was his blueprint.  He also said it was electronic and he needed someone who know about electronic stuff or to go to a class where he could learn about it.  I told him that Grandma's brothers are electricians and he wanted to know if one of them would come over for a few days to help him out.  He then decided he needed a Beyblade expert too, but quickly decided he was a pretty good expert himself.  Jackson has also been working hard at church earning tokens and he was so excited to go to WAC, the after-school program on Wednesday.  He told me he only had five more tokens to earn and then he could get Ellie a nail polish kit they had in their reward case.  He was so happy when he came home and could give her the surprise and Ellie gave him a big hug.  It was so sweet and I was so happy to see if think of someone else. 

The weather has been amazing here and we have tried to get outside and enjoy it.  It is crazy to see trees budding and flowers blooming.  I remember when Jackson was first born and setting with him on the family room floor in our old house and looking outside and noticing the trees outside just starting to bud and that was in the middle of April.  But I'll take the nice weather now.  I've been taking the twins out in our new stroller and they seem to enjoy it.

Andrew has been awesome and got some jobs done outside.  He powerwashed our front porch and back patio and then resealed the patio.  He also put out new muclh and reseeded some bare spots in the yard.  And then he went to start up our mower and first he had the charge the battery and then the actual mower part wouldn't engage.  So he thought he would take a chance with our old push mower that we had held onto.  It has been sitting in our garage since we moved in and surprisingly it started right up.  So he push-mowed our lawn (some of it with Lincoln on his shoulders) and I think he actually enjoyed it somewhat. 

And the last big think that happened was the annual Daddy Daughter Dance.  Ellie has been so excited about this.  Leah set it up for some girls to have their hair done and nails painted at the cosmetology school in town.

She was so excited to put on her pretty dress.  I actually got it for her for next Christmas at a great price and when it came in the mail, she was determined that she wear it for the Daddy Daughter Dance.  She was beautiful and loved the idea of being to go with her dad.  They enjoyed a lovely dinner at McDonald's with Joe and Kate.  It was Kate's choice.  Ellie was hoping to go to La Fuente but she also wanted to go with Kate.  They are pretty high class.  And they spent more time at the dance than I thought they would.  Ellie learned a line dance and she thought it was a lot of un. 

And lastly I had some pictures from our Spring Break trip that I forgot to post.  It was during our return trip to Bentonville. The kids were pretty funny dressing up.  Lincoln used Bella's little apron as a tool belt, Ellie and Bella dressed up as princesses while Briley was Cookie Monster.

And today some of my family is in Kansas City celebrating Baylor's 2nd birthday.  Happy Birthday Baylor!!! Hope you have a fun day.