Shout-Outs

A big thank you to Stacey at Ramblings of a Stay at Home Mom... for the Stylish Blogger Award. Sorry it took me so long to respond. I'm flattered and grateful that you thought of me.

From each post that Stacey writes, you can just feel the delight she takes in being a mama--and she's awesome at it! I very much respect the way she parents. Her twins, Blake and Leah, are just a couple months older than my girls, so it's fun to see what they're up to, because I know my girls will follow shortly.

As part of the award, I'm supposed to list seven things about myself. Throughout my life, I've said at different points, "That was the hardest thing I've ever done." It was all relevant. Here are seven items I've said were, "The hardest thing I've ever done."

1. Bikram yoga. The "hardness" of it is sort of addicting.
2. High ropes course. I'm so afraid of heights. Even the fact that I was harnessed in with several safety latches was no consolation; I trembled and cried my way through the whole thing.
3. Spending three weeks in the ICU on a ventilator with a terrible case of mono.
4. 10 weeks of bed rest. This one was, and wasn't hard at the same time. It was hard to go from being active to being completely inactive, unless you count daily showers and trips to the fridge. On the other hand, I would have done anything to keep my girls in my belly for awhile longer.
5. Caring for twinfants by myself. Sometimes I would just get in the car and drive, because I didn't know how else to get them to stop crying.
6. Caring for sick babies, when I'm sick too.
7. Breastfeeding twins. This one stands as the hardest thing I've ever done. And probably the one I'm most proud of.

Passing the award on to:

My friend Cori at Ritz Bitz News. Cori and were best friends in high school. She moved away to Oregon before our senior year. I haven't seen her since her wedding in 1998. I have very much enjoyed reconnecting with her through blogging! Cori is the mama to five kiddos--four boys and one girl. She tells some pretty hilarious stories about life with her five kids! I pretty much can't wait till Brynne and Hadley really start talking. I'm preparing to be very entertained by what comes out of their mouths, if they are anything like Cori's kids.

Krista at The Hursh Family. Krista is the proud first time twin mama to Vivian and Oliver, who just turned 10 months old! She is such a sweet and encouraging person! Krista's blog reflects her celebration of life and her two "gifts".

Affton at Adventures in Raising "A" Family. I  know Affton in real life too. She's a great friend, wife and mother. Affton is married to Adam. They have a son, Austin, and are expecting a little girl, Audrey, in about nine weeks--she admits it, they are "that" family. Affton shares her experiences raising a son with food allergies, breastfeeding, and just about being a mama.