KG Photography and Creative Design

A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of doing a photo shoot for KG Photography & Creative Design. Jennifer & Tracie were amazing and managed to capture some great shots of the babies despite the blazing heat of a Texas morning! They took most of our shots "un-posed" as we played with the babies and did our normal thing. It was a relaxing, stress free session to say the least! Enjoy...

These are just a few of the many great pictures they took. To see more amazing work done by Jennifer & Tracie, click HERE! Thanks so much to KG Photography & Creative Design for helping us capture beautiful memories of our precious babies!

Playing Catch Up: 4th of July!

A few weeks late on this one, whoops! We had a great 4th of July this year with the babies! Here's a picture of them just after arriving at church... how dang cute are their outfits?!?!

After church we went to Grandma's house to spend the afternoon! Here's just two of the nearly hundred attempts at a group picture...

My handsome Korbin. Oh that face and that combover - i love it :]

Silly Brody sporting his mohawk. We let him have a break from his cranial helmet due to being outside in the heat.

Kylee, eating her flag. This girl ALWAYS finds something to put in her mouth... grass, DIRT, HAIR, I even found a FLY in there yesterday (gag)!

(No, Baxlyn didn't have an individual shot, little miss wouldn't cooperate!) Grandma with Brody & Daddy with Baxlyn reading a book.

Daddy with his Baby B

Enjoying a bottle. Now days it's not too often they're all snuggled up together so this picture just had to be taken for memories sake...

It's also not too often Mommy gets a pic with all her babies...

Every year our church opens up the parking lot and provides a place for people to come and enjoy the local fireworks. Bret & I took the babies to church on the 4th of July last year where many people met them for the first time. I was a little apprehensive about taking them this year not only because it was literally hours past their bed time, but now they are mobile and trying to keep track of all of them amongst a crowd of people terrifies me. To my surprise they did GREAT and had the absolute time of their lives! I don't think I have ever counted to 4 as many times as I did that night... I was constantly talking to myself "1, 2, 3, 4..... ok there's Brody, Kylee, Baxlyn ok where's Korb...... 1, 2, 3...we're missing one we're missing one!..... hey so and so, how many do you have?!"

The big kids were nice enough to let the babies have their own turn in the bounce house and they l o v e d it, Baxlyn threw a fit when it was time to get out.

I love this little blurry picture of Kylee, she's seriously such a doll. She (most of the time) sits so patiently until you assist her to do what the others are doing and gets soo excited sometimes! I love it when the simple little things are so so big to them!

By this time it's no joke like 3 hours past the babies' bedtime and they are still just trucking along as the fireworks start. To keep them all in one place we threw down and blanket and lured them together with bait chicken feed graduates puffs. The second the snacks went down, not one baby cared about the pretty bright lights in the sky. We tried so hard to get them to look up and I *think* Korbin may have seen like ONE firework, and that's it. L-R Korbin, Kylee, Brody & Baxlyn with their friend Destiny!
Brody after the show!

The babies with Grandma!

Last but not least our little family on the best 4th of July we've had together so far :]

Just a few random pics...

More "real" posts coming soon. Until then, here are some pics to hold you over. Some of you Facebook friends may recognize 'em. Enjoy...

My sweet boys Korbin & Brody

"OK Brother. Fold your leg closest to me inward. Put your other leg through the slats of your crib. Throw your baby(ies) out of your crib. Grab one of the slats with your left hand and then scream your head off so Mama will come in and save us. On the count of 3 GO!"

This is what a rotten little girl looks like...
Serious sisters...

We managed to get in a walk during our cold front (which means 95 degrees)
I leave the room for 13seconds and came back to this. "Dinner is served!"

Again, real posts coming soon! Hope you are all having a fun busy weekend like us!

A reunion with our NICU family!

Each year there is a NICU reunion at The Medical Center of Plano in celebration of all NICU graduates. To say I look forward to these reunions is an understatement... I cry just thinking about having the chance to see the nurses and doctors who helped keep my babies alive and to hug their necks until they're blue in the face. I've told them a million times and will every time I see them how much I appreciate them and how they will never fully understand the impact they have had on our (and many others) family. It's been over a year now since the babies have been home and still not one single day goes by that I don't think of them. (sniff sniff... tear!)

Our 2010 family picture... the babies could HARDLY contain their excitement!

The babies met Blue last year for the first time. I wondered if they would freak this year but they didn't... Baxlyn kept a very close eye on him though!

Kylee & her new friend Cassie. How sweet is this picture?!?!
You'd think they planned those sassy look alike smiles :)
Our family with Dr. Kuforiji & Dr. Lucena (2 of the 3 neonatologists that were with our babies 24/7)Below - Kylee & Dr. Kuforiji
I love this picture. To be honest, I used to dread talking to Dr. Kuforiji. It seemed she was always the one who delivered the bad news... in some cases very very bad news. I sat in front of her many times with tears of absolute fear streaming down my face. Slowly but surely I grew to adore her, her guidance, and her words of wisdom. This picture of a doctor's sweet smile and an innocent baby girl's gentle touch is so precious to me as a mother... if Kylee only knew how God used Dr. Kuforiji's hands to save her :)

Below - Baxlyn & Meredith

Ahhh.... where do I begin?! Meredith was Baxlyn's Baby Buddy in the NICU which meant Meredith cared for her from about 2 seconds after she was taken from my tummy. Bret and I miss late (and I mean LATE) nights sitting in the NICU, spending time with the babies and chattin' in up with ole Meredith! She was one of our favorite nurses and always made a point to not just care for the babies, but Bret and I as well. During the rough days she was always there for a hug and during the easier days, always had a joke to offer (even if it was on us ;)). I swear there's a little bit of Meredith tucked away in Baxlyn somewhere, as corny as that sounds. They have a lot in common... both petite lil firecrackers, funny, smart, and full of a strong willed attitude! Thank you Meredith for everything, our NICU stay wouldn't have been the same without you!

Below - The 6 of us with Dr. Lucena

I don't think I have ever come in contact with Dr. Lucena without receiving a HUGE smile from him! He is such a happy positive person to be around, which is just what every NICU needs. Even on the rough days Dr. Lucena could point out the good in our situation and smile. He always gave us a ray of hope when there seemed to be no end to a dark tunnel. Thank you, Dr. Lucena, for being you!

With Dr. Lucena and Meredith
Another amazing thing about the NICU reunion is getting to see the other babies who were there the same time we were. Our babies took up one side of the NICU along with the Walker twins, Addie & Alex. Occasionally a baby would come join them for a day or two and then be discharged, but for the most part it was just the 6 of them. Addie & Alex were born at just 23 weeks gestation. FYI, many doctors consider viability (the lowest gestational age at which most newborn babies could have a mere chance at survival) 24 weeks... we're talking major miracle babies here people! I'm lucky enough to get to see their sweet Momma every few weeks and the babies got to be reunited this weekend!

Call us crazy but we attempted to get a group picture of all 6 babies... it wasn't easy......but it wasn't impossible! Here's a ridiculously blurry picture (what are the chances - ugh!) proving it CAN be done! All 12 eyes looking in one specific direction!
Before leaving we made our rounds and visited the rest of the nurses in the NICU (not able to attend the reunion) and Labor & Delivery.

Here we are just outside the newborn nursery window where Bret and I were congratulated several times (WHILE I was still pregnant and looking like a bloated cow) last year.

(You can read that story here)

By the time we made it home the babies were OUT!
Thanks again to all of the nurses who work so hard to make these awesome reunions happen! It is so good for us as parents to come and be reminded just how special our babies are and how blessed we are that they are here today! THANK YOU THANK YOU!

We LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE you!

-Now that's a lot of love ;)