The Armstrongs

Big Sissies, Meet Little Sissy

2012-02-03T23:10:00.000-08:00

Allie and Olivia met Lillian today. This was the most special moment of our lives other than any of them being born. My Mom stuck by my side over night while Justin went home to sleep after working the night before and being up for 30+ hours. Justin got up Friday morning with the girls and got them ready for the day. As soon as Mary Ann got to the house at 7, he picked us up breakfast and headed to the hospital. Justin's parents picked up Mary Ann and the girls and got to the hospital around 10. We were so excited about this. We have been preparing for this since the day we found out Lillian was coming. It was awesome.

They walked in and saw me sitting in the rocker with Lillian, aka the "boppy." We are trying to say baby better but it's too cute the way they say it. Allie immediately walked over and saw Lillian and put her finger to her mouth and said, "shhhh, boppy night, night." It was the most adorable thing ever. Olivia was a little more stand-offish. I showed them how to kiss baby sister but they weren't ready for that yet. Before they left today, the girls warmed up to Lillian and were very interested in her, especially when she started crying before it was time for her to eat. They watched Mrs. Darlene change Lillian's diaper in amazement. Before they left, we gave them each a present. We gave them new "lovies." These are their animal blankets. Their old ones are WORN slap out. They were very excited and are getting barbies tomorrow when we get home.

We are so ready to go home and are thrilled at how well Lillian is doing. Thank you all for your phone calls, flowers, cards, prayers, visits, and emails. We feel so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. A special thanks to our families for helping us with the girls while Mommy and Daddy can't be there with them. Another special thanks to Mary Ann for working overtime and keeping our beautiful Allie and Olivia.

We are hopefully being discharged Saturday afternoon and will be able to go home to our own bed and be together as a family. stay tuned for pictures!

Surprise! Lillian Claire Armstrong is here!

2012-02-03T03:16:00.000-08:00

We have had a very rough week this week. We kept this very quiet this past week, other than informing immediate family. It all started Monday (Jan. 30) when I went to the doctor for my 38 week check up. A normal start the the day with the girls and a normal day in the life of a teacher. I first off noticed that Lillian was not moving very much throughout the day. I just thought it was because she has run out of room to move. When my nurse, Tracy, called me back to her station I went through the normal routine: Went to the restroom, got on the scale (FUN!), checked my bp, and answered the normal questions.

Are you having any problems?
Any contractions?
Bleeding?
Are you feeling the baby move?

I answered all of the questions and passed my check-up with flying colors. I told Tracy about the decrease in movement and she told Dr. G. I moved back to the room and waited for Dr. G. When he came in, we chatted like we normally do and he asked me about the decrease in her movement. I laid back and he got out the Doppler to check her heart beat. He had trouble finding her heart beat at first. He told me that it could be the fluid that was "obstructing" the sound. He moved it all around. He could hear something but it was not consistent enough or clear enough. Dr. G and I think on the same page all the time, so when I watched him as he listened for her heartbeat, it bothered me. Though, he was trying to keep me calm and assured, I was still not satisfied. I got up and went with him to his office. He told me that he wanted me to go over to maternity eval and get hooked up to the monitor for them to get a better reading of her heart rate and beat. He is amazing. He not only made all of the arrangements personally (which his nurse normally does), but he called over there into my room and checked in on me after his shift was over. I am so lucky to have him as a friend and doctor.

Anyway, after I got there, I called Justin to meet me there. He left the girls in the care of our wonderful nanny, Mary Ann, and rushed to my side. A long enough story later, the doctor on call did not do what Dr. G thought she should have done. Dr. G called me at home that night to tell me that. What doctor does that? Like I said, I am so lucky to have him as a friend and doctor. He told me that she has an arrhythmia and wants to get a better look at her heart rate, beat, chambers, etc. This is the first we have ever heard of anything like this with her. So, the next day my nurse calls me to tell me we are scheduled to go to the Sacred Heart Hospital Perinatal Unit in Destin asap. We got the closest appointment which was yesterday at 9:30 this morning.

After they did the ultrasound and found everything to be normal, the doctor informed us of the good news. Then came the shocker. He told us that my amniotic fluid was too low to go any longer and we were to deliver TODAY! Luckily Dr. g was on call and we rushed back to Dothan, grabbed our things, and headed to the hospital.

Lillian Claire Armstrong was born at 3:33 pm, weighing in at 7 lbs, 4 oz, and 20 inches long. She is doing great and is healthy as can be. She has 100 percent oxygen saturation, scored 9 and 10 on her Apgar scales, and her murmur is slowing going away. She is nursing like a champ and has not wanted to stop eating yet. We are so very blessed and want to thank our families for rushing down here without even skipping a beat.

Also, I want to thank our very special nurse, Andrea. She stuck my my side when I called her to tell her we were coming in today. Andrea was our child birth teacher with the girls ans has remained a close friend ever since.

Needless to say, it has been a rough week of waiting, praying, and not knowing what to expect. Please pray that everything continues to go smoothly.

Pictures coming soon! Stay tuned..................

18 Months and a False Alarm

2012-01-23T19:09:00.000-08:00

First things first. Allie and Olivia are approaching 19 months old. WOW! Time has flown. They went for their 18 month check up today and here are their stats:

Allie
Height: 34 1/8 inches
Weight: 26 lbs
Head: 46 cm

Olivia
Height: 35 inches
Weight: 28 lbs
Head: 47 cm

A few other exciting milestones and accomplishments both girls can do:

Color like crazy
Climb like a mountain climber on EVERYTHING!!!
Eat with forks and spoons
Hop over things while screaming "HOP!"
Speak in very well put together sentences
Identify certain colors
Identify certain animals
Identify sounds with the animals
Dance like its going out of style
Find certain body parts on themselves and mommy and daddy (i.e. belly button, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, etc.)
Climb in and out of the car by themselves AND climb in and out of their car seats!!!! Thank the LORD!!!!!
And much, much more

These may seem trivial or small to some of you but to mommy and daddy it means that we are doing something right! We cannot take all of the credit, though. Our nanny, Mary Ann, is our life savor. She spends all day with the girls and teaches them so much. We couldn't make it through the day without her. We love her SO much and so do the girls. She has taught Allie and Olivia so much in the past 18 months and has been my 3rd, 4th, 5th, and even 6th hand around here.

NEXT............................
We had a bit of a scare/false alarm today. Last night Justin had to work so I went to bed early (around 9). I laid in bed with so much discomfort that I could not fall asleep. It took me hours to finally go to sleep, but that sleep was not deep at all. I texted Justin and told him how I was in pain. He gave me some words of encouragement and made me feel better. I awoke this morning just feeling........well, more than uncomfortable. I ran through the morning routine like I always do but this time I felt worse than ever. I chalked it up to stress, lack of sleep, a long weekend, work today, and two toddlers ready to start the day.

I got to work and it was a typical day in the life of a teacher. I taught, made parent phone calls, graded papers, broke up a fight and a half, taught some more, and then after lunch came my last class............MATH. All students' favorite subject, right? I had been having constant pain every 10-20 minutes with sweating and everything else that goes along with braxton hicks. I got my aid to cover my class while I waddled/quickly walked to my Principals office. Got the okay to leave and jetted out the door to pick up Justin and got to the doctor. We weren't scheduled til 4:00 today but he wanted me to come in anyway. Since we were early today, we didn't get our ultrasound because the rooms were all full. Maybe next week. Anyway, Dr. G checked to see if I was dilated. He said I wasn't even close, but I am having REAL contractions. UGH!!!! He called me in some meds and ordered me to rest from work for a few days. I took the meds and said "yeah right" to the rest from work thing.

Even though I am at ease knowing that Lillian won't be coming tonight or hopefully before Feb. 10th, I did realize how much I am behind on certain things. I have been working on those things tonight and plan to finish getting everything ready before the weekend approaches. Please pray that we will make it until Feb.10th. I am very ready to meet this spunky gal but want her to be as healthy as she can be at the same time for her due date.

Lillian Claire's Baby Shower

2012-01-22T17:44:00.000-08:00

Our wonderful family and friends threw Lillian and me a shower this weekend to celebrate her arrival in just 3 very short weeks. The shower was beautiful, the company was wonderful, and the presents were amazing. Thank you to my Sister-in-Law (Mallory), Mother-in-Law (Darlene), my Mom, and Mrs. Indyia for everything this weekend. We appreciate everything you all have done and continue to do. Below are some pictures from this weekend.

We are done with Lillian's nursery (I'll post pictures soon). The only thing left is to hang a picture frame and for some reason I can't ever remember to do it. It is hard to believe that we will have three cribs in our house at one time. I am very eager to meet this Prissy little girl. She is very active and is very ready to meet the world. We go back to the doctor tomorrow for my 37 week check-up and will continue to go weekly now. We are going to get an ultrasound tomorrow to see how big Miss Lillian is and get an estimate of how big she will be on February 10th!!!.

Stay tuned for weekly updates on Lillian Claire.

My wonderful Sister, Whitney and me

Beautiful

Too Cute for Allie and Olivia

Allie and Olivia have matching blankets with their initials

Exploration

2012-01-03T15:02:00.000-08:00

The girls have been very curious about their bodies lately. Today, we have found our belly buttons. The girls have walked around over half of the day with their shirts up pointing to their belly buttons and trying to say "belly button." This morning, Olivia came over to me while I was on the phone and tried to push up my shirt to find mine. When I got off the phone, I knelt down for her to find mine. What she found was perplexing. She looked at my stomach (which by the way is not a pretty sight at this point), looked up at me, looked at her stomach, looked back at me and cocked her head to the side and babbled something I could not understand and then ran away. Exploration.

Later this afternoon Justin, Allie, Olivia, and I were in the living room and Olivia came up to me and attempted to "explore" my tummy for my belly button again. She lifted my shirt and as clear as day pointed, looked into my eyes, and yelled, "BALL!" I guess she has been thinking about this all day. Justin and I died laughing as it does look like I have swallowed a basketball. Exploration.

I have been very fortunate with both pregnancies to not have gained a ton of weight ( I'm going to be honest and document this so that I can look back and give my children the accurate details. I gained 34 pounds with the twins and so far 26 pounds with Lillian). Even though I feel like a whale, I cannot complain a whole lot. So when my 18 month old child points at my belly and yells, "BALL" I guess I should be very happy to hear that rather than something else.

5 weeks and 1 day until we add #3 to our growing family. I go back to the doctor next week and then once a week until the big day. So far Lillian Claire is doing very well and growing fast. She is BIG, ladies and gentlemen. I am very ready to meet her and so is her Daddy. Please keep praying that all continues to go well.

Christmas: Round two and the Zoo

2012-01-02T19:11:00.000-08:00

My Mom and Step Dad came to spend Christmas with us this past weekend. We had a great time. We always do. Every time my Mom and I get together reminds me of how much like her I am. The girls racked up yet again with a doctors kit, clothes, and the best of all......................DVD players!!!!! The girls had a great time opening gifts and love their doctors kits. They go around giving shots to EVERYTHING and checking heartbeats on EVERYTHING. Thanks Mom and Dennis!!!!!

Mom trying out the tunnel

I promise my children wear pants. They just woke up from their nap and were too excited to put on pants for the camera. A and O opening their presents from Mom and Dennis.

The girls got zebra slippers with pink fur on them. These were a huge hit, especially since they are OBSESSED with shoes.

Doctor kits.

Doctor Allie and Doctor Olivia in action

We have yet to even start on Lillian's room. Well, the "nesting" syndrome hit hard this weekend after I almost had a panic attack when realizing she will be here in less than 6 weeks (5 weeks and 2 days to be exact.) Before Mom and Dennis left, we cleared out the guest bedroom in hopes of tackling the nursery this week. We have picked out paint samples and are painting little bit by little bit this week. I plan to paint while Justin is at work, after the girls go to sleep. Right now, Lillian's room is currently being used as a "play room" for the girls. They LOVE this room. We put their HUGE ladybug tent and other toys in there and they spend tons of time in there just playing. Please pray that we will have Lillian's room ready for her by the time she gets here. I'm getting very nervous.

Today, Justin and I took the girls to the Zoo. This is something that I have looked forward to for a VERY long time. We met up with my Aunt Debra at the Zoo and had a great time visiting and watching the girls reactions. We have been working on their animal sounds and they are so stinking smart. I know everyone says that about their kids, but ours girls truly amaze me for their age (18 months on Jan. 7th) at what they can retain. Anyway, here are some pictures of today at the Zoo.

Allie before we left this morning. She loves to say "cheese" when I pull out my camera. What a HAM.

Olivia was very much into eating and not posing so early

The first exhibit; the birds. The girls loved the birds. The Zoo keepers were feeding them at this time so we got to see more than usual.

A (left) and O (right)
It was very chilly this morning

They loved the monkeys

This little guy walked right up to us and starting talking to the girls.

Allie was very curious about the swan

They thought the chimps were SO funny. Olivia was trying to get out of the stroller to play with them.

As I look back at 2011, we have so many things to thank God for. I am going to continue to thank Him everyday for my amazing husband, my two (almost three) perfect children, our loving and wonderful families, and most importantly His faith in Justin and me to raise his children.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

Christmas at the Armstrong House

2011-12-26T18:31:00.000-08:00

All I can say is.............WHEW!!! What a Christmas it was. This year was so much FUN with the girls. We decided years ago that when we had children we wanted everyone to travel to us (for obvious reasons). Well, everyone came and boy when they came they brought Santa's workshop with them. Christmas Eve was so nice. My Dad and sister came that afternoon and Justin's parents came later on that evening before the girls went to bed. We managed to get a few pictures on Christmas Eve.

My Sister and I attempted fried okra. It looked horrible but was delicious.

Christmas Eve Dinner

Olivia playing with Winston

Daddy with Olivia

Allie playing peek-a-boo with Papa Bo

The Grandfathers putting together the slide

This tent is HUGE! We had no idea it would be this big. We need a bigger house.

Christmas morning was out of this world. Allie and Olivia are the luckiest children on this planet to have the family that we have. These girls are the only grandchildren on both sides of the family so they are double spoiled. On Christmas morning everyone got to the house (Justin's parents, sister, brother-in-law, my sister, and Dad) and all waited for us to bring the girls into the living room where they would see their "loot." The moment we rounded the corner with the girls down the hallway, they both shut down and went into "shy/scared to death" mode. They buried their heads in mine and Justin's chests. It took them a good 10 minutes to relax and let loose. There were cameras flashing and video cameras EVERYWHERE! It looked like a red carpet affair in our living room. Below are some pictures of the mornings events. The girls did not open the gifts. I had to open them and then pass them along so they could play with them or look at them. All in all it was the best Christmas Justin and I have ever had. The only down side to our children getting everything in the world is that we have next to no room for it all. A bigger house is on the list next. We love our families and thank them so much for everything they do for us and our children. Next year will be three girls for Santa to visit. Oh Dear!! Happy Holidays!

*****WARNING: My big belly may be too much to handle. It may or may not fit the pajamas that I was wearing. Proceed with caution.*******

Rounding the corner

Warming up

This is the girls FAVORITE thing!!!!

They LOVE these horses!

I love Allie's facial expression.

They cannot get enough of this slide!! They have been down this a thousand times already.

They love these tricycles but are a little short to touch the peddles. They will be ready to ride them in a month or so the way they are growing.

Monkeys

Family photo attempt #109

Got it..............................sort of.

Me at 32 weeks with Lillian Claire. 6 weeks left after this Thursday.
Notice there are no ornaments on the bottom of the tree. Hmmmm, I wonder why.

Aunt Whit with the girls.

Gigi and Papa Bo with the girls

Gandy with the girls

Allie clapping for Olivia

Catch Up

2011-11-28T18:22:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe Thanksgiving has come and gone so fast. It seems like yesterday we were celebrating our first Thanksgiving as a family with Allie and Olivia. There has been a lot going on around here since our last post. I'm going to try and catch you up as much as I can.

Allie and Olivia turned 16 months old on November 7, 2011.

I am loving being back in the classroom. It has it's challenges everyday and sometimes hourly, but is very worth it.

We had our 4D ultrasound of Lillian on November 22, 2011. Here is a picture of our beautiful baby.

Justin's parents drove down to come with us to the appointment and were able to share this with us. She weighs about 2 pounds and has a strong and healthy heartbeat of 155 bpm. We also scheduled our C-Section for February 10, 2011 at 7:30 that morning. Lillian will be born the day after Justin's birthday (Feb. 9th). Talk about a great birthday present. Everything is going nice and smooth so far. I am 28 weeks (will be 29 on Thursday, December 1st) and can tell you that this pregnancy is SO different from carrying the twins. It's hard to believe that I carried two babies in my belly. Lillian is going to be a whopper, I can already tell. I have only gained 17 pounds as of last Tuesday and am scared to know how much weight i packed on over Thanksgiving because I did not turn down ANY food.
Our next appointment will be December 14th. I will start going to the doctor every 2 weeks now. WOW!! This pregnancy has flown by so fast.

Thanksgiving break was a bit hectic, but so nice to spend with family. We had three Thanksgiving meals to attend. They were all delicious and, of course, entertaining. The girls, however, did not have the best Turkey break. The day after Thanksgiving, Allie came down with a fever and bad cough. Then Olivia. Olivia also came down with some kind of eye infection in both eyes. By Sunday morning, both girls and Mommy and Daddy were exhausted from lack of sleep. We came home early Sunday morning and spent the day resting and doctoring the girls up. They are feeling better today. We made it through our first night last night fever free and hopefully we can do that again tonight.

We are so thankful for everyone that has supported us and been there for us. We are also very thankful that God has decided to give us one more blessing. Apparently we are doing something right with Allie and Olivia, He wants us to have another one ;-). Lillian will be here before we know it and we will start getting the nursery ready after Christmas. We have talked about buying another house, a bigger house, and have no idea where to start. Life is so busy but is so good. Have a great week!!!

Good Night from Allie and Olivia

Pumpkin Picture Preview

2011-11-06T17:54:00.000-08:00

We had pictures made with our favorite photographer last Saturday, Erica Hartzog. She does such amazing work and has really blown my socks off this time. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have beautiful children to photograph but man she does a great job with every detail and idea. Below are some sneak peak pictures. Stay tuned.................

Allie (L) and Olivia (R)

Olivia

Allie

Olivia

Allie

M & M's Anyone?

2011-10-31T18:02:00.000-07:00

This was the girls first Halloween to trick or treat. We did not attempt it last year since the girls were only 3 1/2 months old, though, I did dress them up. Below are some pictures from trick or treating in our neighborhood tonight. My Mom made their costumes and we got the most compliments on them. Thanks, Mom!!!! The girls had a blast and so did mommy and daddy.

Allie-left and Olivia-right at 3 months old last year. Two peas in a pod

Allie getting ready

Allie -left and Olivia-right

Allie--she is such a HAM

Olivia not wanting her picture taken

Here we go!

The very first house was not a hit. Olivia freaked at this older man that was wearing a mardis gras mask. She felt better after dadddy got her and we walked away.

Allie was a natural

Olivia wanted in on the action after she saw sissy

Never mind

Bitter Sweet

2011-10-18T08:37:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure if I was going to post about this or not, but I have decided to do so since this blog is our "scrapbook" of memories. A friend emailed me shortly after I posted the last post and saw where the student gave me Vampire Tigger. She read that the student said "I am going to miss you a lot." She wanted to know what he meant by that. Well, We have not told many people about this but here it goes. I am leaving my current job at Houston Academy this week. I turned in my resignation last week and this Friday, Ocotber 21st, which turns out is my birthday, will be my last day. There have been many things that have weighed in on our decision for me to leave H.A. The school is amazing and I have made some wonderful friends and relationships with staff members. I have also fallen in love with the parents and my students. The saddest part is leaving my students. Some of them understand and some do not. It was a total shock to my Principal and Head Master and to many of the teachers and families. They all want an answer to the question, WHY? Though, it is a personal matter and our decision is private, all I can say is that sometimes things in life take a different route.

I will treasure the memories I have made at H.A. and how wonderful H.A. has been to me for the past 2 years. I will miss my lunches with our lunch bunch, my lunch buddy, Ashley, and my close friends that helped me with everything and let me vent about anything and everything. I will also miss my pregnant buddies, Kristy and Ashley. I loved comparing stories of pregnancies and baby stories.

On a different note, we are taking the girls trick or treating for the first time this year with our friends Lauren, Brad, and Madalyn and my Mom is making their costumes. The girls are going to be M & M's and I'm going to be the M & M with a pretzel inside (get it, I'm pregnant). That was Lauren's idea and I loved it. We have not decided what Justin's role in the M & M theme will be yet, so if you have any suggestions, bring 'em. Stay tuned for pictures.

Have a great week!!

Phone Dump

2011-10-18T07:27:00.000-07:00

Inspired by a friend, I decided to go through my phone and clean out my pictures. This is strictly a post of pictures and comments. That's all anyone ever wants to see anyway, right? ENJOY!

Olivia reading in her favorite spot.

Our little pumpkins. The third spot is reserved for Lillian next year.

Olivia clucking.

The girls LOVED the farm animals at the pumpkin patch. We didn't get to stay long since mommy forgot her battery to her camera and the offical patch had not opened yet.

Allie saw a cow.

Allie went shopping for me to cook dinner

Special delivery for mommies birthday!!

Allie being silly with Gandy's sunglasses.

Meet vampire Tigger. This was given to me by one of my students who has Asperger's Syndrome. If you know anything about Asperger's then you know it is a form of Autism. The child who gave this to me kept telling me that he had something to give my little girls. Well, last week he came into my office first thing at 7:30 sharp and handed me a bag and said, "This is what I was telling you about." I opened it and he explained what it was. I immediately plugged it in to my wall and we watched Tigger grow. He kept saying over and over, "Your babies will love it." This child is not particularly in to hugs, so I asked him if I could hug him and he didn't say anything. So, I didn't push him. He saw the tears in my eyes as I thanked him and he threw his arms around me and squeezed me so hard and said "Thank you for everything, Mrs. Armstrong. I'm going to miss you a lot." Of course, more tears. Anyway, I took this home to the girls. Allie went crazy over it and was not scared of it. Olivia, however, ran and cried when she saw it. She loves it now that she has warmed up to it.

Olivia

Saturday, we had a yard sale and my Sister, my Dad, and sister in law came to help. We made a ton of money, which I wasn't expecting to do. Thanks to Aunt Whit Whit, my head sales person!!! Olivia and Allie came out for a bit and Olivia found a pot that Aunt Mallory was selling. The girl loved this pot. She decided to test it out and see how much it could hold. Hypothesis confirmed: Pot can hold 25.12 pounds of baby.

15 Month Check-Up

2011-10-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

We went for the girls 15 month check up yesterday. Wow! I cannot believe they are 15 months old already. Anyway, here are their stats:

Allie
Height   32 inches          87th percentile
Weight 23.12 pounds    62nd percentile
Head     45.6 cm

Olivia
Height    32.5 inches         94th percentile
Weight 25.12 pounds     85th percentile
Head      46.7 cm

The girls handled the visit very well, with the exception of the shots. They actually handled it better than I was expecting them to. The good news is that they will not get anymore shots until their 2 year check up and after that, no more shots until they go to school!!!!! Thank goodness.  They will, of course, get their flu shots yearly, but other than that, we are happy.

Quicky Post: Fall Break

2011-10-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

The girls and I have been staying pretty busy since Thursday. After I got off work, I came home and picked up the girls and Justin. We went to the park and let the girls go wild. Little did we know that they would wear us out even more.

Friday came and the girls and I took a trip to the mall. We shopped till we dropped. The girls did so good. No fussing, no crying, and not even a single attempt to jump out of the stroller. Below is a picture of Allie when we pulled into the driveway that afternoon. She was exhausted.

By the end of the day, I was pooped, too. I was so tired that when I went to bath the girls that night, I forgot one important thing. Can you figure it out? If you can't see the picture very well, I forgot to take Olivia's socks off. Olivia didn't even mind. Justin was undressing Allie for me and said, "You know she still has her socks on?" I laughed so hard at myself for doing that. I told my Mom what I did and her comment to me was, "At least you took their diapers off." So true, Mom!!!! Glad I can laugh about it.

21 Weeks With Lillian

2011-10-06T06:34:00.000-07:00

We had our check up yesterday with an ultrasound. Below are some pictures of Lillian at 20 weeks and 6 days.

Lillian's profile

We were able to catch Lillian in mid-yawn. The black "O" shape is her mouth while yawning.

And this is little Lillian assuring us that she is indeed a girl. She might hate me later in life for this one.

Lillian weighed in at 14 ounces, right on track. All of her organs and major body parts are present and accounted for. Her heart is looking good with all chambers present and working properly. Lillian's heart rate was at 153 beats per minute. I love the sound of that little heart beat.

The neat thing about this ultrasound is that we were able to see Lillian very clear. With the girls, they were so smashed and packed in tight that we could not see them clearly like this one. I can tell you one thing, though. I can definitely tell a difference in carrying twins versus carrying one. Things are much more comfortable and calm this time around................so far.

We wanted to go ahead and schedule the c-section since I will be in school this time around and need to get a substitute ASAP. Doctor G said he will deliver Lillian via c-section whenever we want, even if he's off on the day we choose. He said he would come in and perform the c-section, anyway. This Doctor is so good to us. Lillian is scheduled to be here between February 9th and 17th. We have not decided on a day yet, but will by our next appointment on October 28th. Justin's birthday is on February 9th and Justin would love to have a little girl delivered for his birthday. Maybe she will be here on that day. We'll see.

The closer and closer we get to February, the more excited I am to meet Lillian. I look at Allie and Olivia now and wonder what Lillian's personality will be like at their age (15 months). I love being a mommy and wife. There is truly nothing better than your child seeing you and running to you with pure excitement written all over their face while getting to share that with your husband. God has been so good to us over the years and I am thankful that he chose Justin and I to bring Allie, Olivia, and Lillian into this world. Have a great week and stay tuned for pictures from Fall Break this weekend.

Relaxing Weekend

2011-10-03T07:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend was so nice. The weather was perfect and we did not have one place to be for once. We have been going, going, and going for the last few months and have not spent a weekend at home as a family in I can't tell you how long. It was nice to not have a weekend of family time with just myself, Justin, and the girls. We had such a nice weekend. Here are a few pictures from the weekend. Have a great week!!!!

Allie eating her blueberries. Can you tell she loves her berries?

I swear I did not do a thing to make this child smile. The girls favorite thing to do now is smile. Good thing I have a camera near by at all times.

Allie playing with her duck that this sweet older man up the street made for them. They love these ducks so much. She was all dressed up for Church yesterday. The bow did not last long but Justin managed to sneak it in her hair without her knowing.

So, I'm not sure why this picture won't rotate. Sorry. Olivia watching "Chuggington" before Church yesterday morning. Her bow did not last long either. Thank goodness Justin is my bow attendant and can get them in there better than I can. Thanks Justin!

Baby Girl Armstrong #3

2011-09-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

L A C

We have officially picked out a name for Baby Girl Armstrong #3. Her name will be

Lillian Claire Armstrong

After tossing names around, looking through numerous websites and books, we have decided to go with Lillian. I will say that it was a lot harder to come up with a name for this baby than the twins. Every name that we brought to the table just was not "the one." We kept gravitating towards the name Lillian Claire and it just came to us. It hit us like it did with the girls names. When you know, you know.

We are very excited about meeting little Lillian in February. I'm very excited to see how the girls will react to Lillian. I asked Justin the other day what he thought she will look like. Will she look like either of the girls? Will she look like a combination of the girls? Will she look like me (since neither of the girls look like me)? Or, will Lillian look like her handsome Daddy? I do know one thing for sure, Little Lillian is very laid back so far. She does occasionally wake me up at 2:00 am to kick around but other than that, she is just as relaxed as her Daddy.

All is going great right now with Lillian and we are having another check-up and scheduled ultrasound on October 5th. We will be 20 weeks on Thursday this week (half way there!) and cannot believe time has flown by as fast as it has. Please keep praying that all goes smoothly and Lillian will be here and healthy in February to meet us.

On a different note, Justin's sister, Mallory, married a wonderful man, Timmy, this past Friday and we could not be happier for them. The wedding was gorgeous, as was the bride, and the reception was a BLAST!! Below are a couple of pictures my sister took of the girls at the reception. They LOVED the dance floor and shook their little behinds for a little while before mommy and daddy sent them home with Gandy and Aunt Whit for bed time. Congrats to the happy couple, Mr. and Mrs. Cutts!!!! We love you all very much and can't wait for our children and your future children to grow up together.

It's a ...............................................

2011-09-08T08:04:00.000-07:00

Justin and I went to the doctor yesterday for a check-up. It was a regularly scheduled check-up. So, that meant no ultrasound, no blood work, or extra tests to do. We were very eager to find out the sex and I am far enough along now to be able to tell the sex of the baby. After the heartbeat check and my doctor giving me the thumbs up on everything, he asked us if we were going to find out what this one was. I said very eagerly, "YES!" He then said sarcastically, "Do you want to find out today?" I didn't even give him a chance to finish his sentence and said "YES!" So, we followed him back to the ultrasound tech and she was so sweet to take time and let us know the sex. It was very clear that we are having............

GIRL!!!!

We are thrilled about this. We will have 3 girls under the age of 2 in our house at one point. OH DEAR!! People kept asking me up until today if I could tell what it was. The truth is, I had NO idea and I could not compare this ONE to my last pregnancy of TWO. I can tell you one thing, though. This little chick is one laid back kid so far. With the girls, they were constantly on the move 24/7, starting at 15 weeks and all the way to the day they were born!!! I don't know if it was because they were fighting for room or because they were/are just so active. Probably a mixture of both.

The little beauty is already a chunk weighing in at 9 ounces (the average is 5 ounces at this stage). She has a strong, fast, and healthy heartbeat. I bet she'll weigh as much as both of the girls did together. There is one thing for sure, mama is not putting down the sweets.

The other great part about this pregnancy is that I have 3 dear friends that are also pregnant with me. I am due February 16th, one friend is due on March 10th, another on April 1st, and the other due on April 16th. We get to complain, get bigger, and daydream all together. That sounds so cheesy but it is so exciting. It was nice to have someone to go through my last pregnancy with and our kids are one week a part to the day and time.

Please continue to pray that we and my other friends have healthy pregnancies and deliveries. God has given us two healthy and ACTIVE girls and we want another healthy baby. Now, on to the name game.

P.S. Also, please keep my half brother, Stan, and his family in your prayers. His beautiful and wonderful mother passed away last week after a 10 month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was an amazing woman who always made you feel welcome and right at home. She will be missed dearly.

Beach Trips

2011-08-22T06:43:00.000-07:00

We took the girls on two different beach trips this summer. The first one was the day after Gigi's birthday. The girls and I drove down to Panama City with them and Justin came the next day after work. We stayed from Sunday to Thursday and it was so nice. Even though it rained everyday, we were able to get in the pool for a little bit one day and make a trip to the beach for some pictures. We enjoyed the company, food, and girls. We were sad to leave and of course when we left, the very next day it was sunshine from there on out. Oh well, the girls had a blast and we did, too.

Olivia Staying cool

Allie

Relaxing in the pool

Allie

Olivia

Vaca is tough

Papa Bo, Gigi, Allie, and Olivia

Papa Bo with Allie

Dada with Allie before dinner. She was pooped.

Dada and Allie napping on a rainy day.

Rain Rain go away. Come again another day.

Dada carrying all the toys to the beach.

Olivia did NOT care for the beach this day.

Allie LOVED everything about the beach.

Olivia warming up

"Outta my way!!!!!!!"

"Ummm, I don't think so."

"I can do it by myself, Papa Bo."

"Don't let go Daddy!"

My favorite

Allie digging in

"Weeeeeeeeeee"

Mommy, Daddy, Allie, Olivia, and number 3.

Papa Bo, Gigi, Olivia, and Allie

Sweet foot prints. I want to cast these.

Allie was determined to climb this sand hill.

Olivia

Olivia's beach "do"

These are some pictures from the second beach trip with Gandy, Aunt Whit, Mr. Kevin, Uncle Stan, Uncle Ray, and Aunt Cherie. We had a house full! We left on a Friday and followed Gandy down to Destin. The girls and I stayed til Wednesday since I had to be back at work Thursday. Justin stayed until Monday with all of us. We enjoyed visiting, cooking, and fishing. It was a great trip.

Dad and Uncle Ray decided to bring their Harley's to the beach to ride when we left. Dad also brought the girls car from his house. Dad stopped in Dothan so we could follow him and we added the kiddie car from our house to the trailer. I wish you could have seen the look on peoples faces when we passed them on the highway. Two Harley's and two kiddie cars. It was awesome.

Thats' how we role

See ya!!!

Papa Ray with Allie

Gandy, Mommy, and Allie.Allie

Gandy, Mommy, and Olivia

Papa Ray and Gandy with the girls

Allie

Gandy with Olivia

"I've got a surprise for you!"-Allie

Olivia being her silly self

Uncle Stan with Allie

Olivia decided she did not want a tan line

The girls and myself went for a walk down the beach

Olivia being adventurous

Aunt Whit and Allie

Gandy with Olivia after hitting the waves

Uncle Stan with Allie, Mr. Kevin, and Daddy building a sand castle.

Allie was done by the end of the day

These are some random pictures but I wanted to share them. Me, Aunt Whit, Olivia, and Allie on the boat in Biloxi with Justin, Kevin, Mimi, and Pop Diddy back in May. This was the girls first boat trip all day and they loved it.

My Mom had these baby scrubs made for the girls. Future Dr. Olivia

Gandy playing leap frog with Allie. This makes me laugh way too hard.

The future Dr. Allie

Aunt Whit, Gandy, Mommy, Allie, and Olivia at the Golden Family Reunion in July.

The future Dr. Allie

First Hair Cut

2011-08-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

Justin and I took the girls to get their very first hair cut a few weeks ago. Allie was in desperate need of a hair cut. She was beginning to get a baby mullet. Here are some pictures we took on our phones of them getting their hair cut. The pictures are not the best quality. I still can't believe I forgot my camera.

First up Was Olivia. She wasn't crazy about someone touching her head but warmed up when she saw herself in the mirror. She loves to look at herself. So vein.

Allie's turn. She LOVED every minute of it. We gave her a toy to play with and she sat still the entire time and laughed.

These are just random pictures I thought that I would share.

Olivia loves to push Allie around in the car. I had to slow her down before she ran into the wall and we had a collision.

Olivia LOVES to tickle Allie and makes the "tickle, tickle, tickle" sound when she does it. It is hilarious.

Baby Number 3 Update

2011-08-17T07:47:00.000-07:00

We have been so busy with the girls that I have not had a chance to update you all on baby number 3. We are in fact only having one this time around. We will not find out what we are having until October 4, 2011. It seems so far away but I know it will be here before we know it.

I am 14 weeks pregnant and we are due on February 16, 2012. My BP, blood work, weight, and anything else that the Doctor tests is perfect so far. I have actually lost weight from being sick. Not a big deal since it is common. I remember with the girls I lost 10 pounds and didn't gain any until about 16 weeks and that week I gained 10 pounds. That was crazy. Anyway, the baby is doing great. The first ultrasound had the heartbeat at 136 beats per minute which led us to believe this would be a boy. The second ultrasound showed the heart rate at 184 beats per minute. Big difference. This may be another girl. Either way we are very excited and thrilled to welcome another miracle to our family.

It has taken me a little longer to wrap my brain around the fact that in less than 6 months we will have three children. I also thought about the fact that we will have had 3 children in 2 years. Who does that? US. Our family is extremely supportive of us, as they have always been. We aren't sure what the next six months holds for us but I am requesting that you all pray for us for many reasons. One, that this pregnancy goes a smoothly as the last. Two, that we figure out a way to manage three children and two careers. Three, God will bless us with a healthy baby boy/girl.

I started back to work last week and it has been nice getting back into our "normal" routine. The week I started back to work I found out that three of my friends are expecting their own children right after me (within 3-8 weeks after me). Don't drink the water in Dothan. I guess we will all go through this together and be fat and happy at the same time.

Stay tuned for pictures from our beach trips this summer. Have a great week!!

One Year Birthday Pictures

2011-08-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

Erica Hartzog photographed the girls for their one year pictures and of course, as always, she did a fantastic job. All of the following pictures were taken and proofed by Erica Hartzog Photography.

Allie

My favorite of Olivia

Allie

Olivia

"I'm how old?"

Allie

My favorite of Allie

Olivia

Allie

Olivia

My sweet babies.

Better Late Than Never

2011-08-17T06:59:00.000-07:00

So let me start by saying how ashamed of myself that I am. We have been so busy with the girls, trips, friends, family, and doctors appointments that I have not had any time to open my laptop. Please forgive me. I am not going to say a lot because I know that all you want to see are pictures. After all, that's the best part........right?

July 7th--Allie and Olivia's first birthday

The girls actual birthday

Olivia intently watching Mickey Mouse

Allie got tickled at me

Mom and Dennis came over for the day of the girls actual birthday and we sang happy birthday to them with their very own cakes.

Allie digging in.

"I'm next"

"Thanks Mimi!"

The Birthday Party

The pictures are out of order. Sorry for those who wanted a play by play with the pics.

Daddy with Allie and Mommy with Olivia.

Gandy with his birthday girls

"CAKE!!!!!!!!"

This play house was a HUGE hit. Thank you Papa Bo and Gigi!

I have to say that our girls love to cook. They make us dishes everyday.

Clean up time

Gigi with her birthday girls

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm"

The loot

"Move over, Sis, I'm driving."

Two of my best friends surprised us and drove down from Nashville at 3:00 am to make it to the party in time. Thank you, Amy and Lori!! I love ya'll so much.

Look how the water turned red. It was by far the messiest bath I have ever seen.

Madalyn helping the girls open presents.

One word for this disaster............Domination

Again........................Domination

"Try some, Gandy"

"Try mine, too"

"Hehehehehehe, bath time"

Let the games begin

We bought the girls pots and pans that look like mine in hopes they would leave mine alone. WRONG.
"Now where is that saute dish?"

Aunt Whit being brave. Don't worry, they got her good after the picture.

Aunt Whit with her birthday girls

The kids corner

"Do you mind? I'm bathing"

Mae Mae with the birthday girls

Allie kept saying "Mmmmmm, mmmmmm, mmmmmmm" and each time she got louder. It was classic

I thought these were very appropriate for the occasion.

This bow was a lost cause with Olivia.

Aunt Mal (the future Mrs. Cutts) with the birthday girls.

Aunt Chris and Aunt Denise drove down for the party, too. Thanks ladies!!!

"Watch out for us, here we come!"

One Year Ago...............

2011-07-07T08:29:00.000-07:00

One year ago today we welcomed our two beautiful miracles on July 7, 2010 at 7:22 and 7:23 am. I cannot explain how happy we are to have Alexandra (Allie) and Olivia in our lives. It is so hard to believe that Justin and I have made it here. God has blessed us with the most amazing miracles and we thank Him EVERY day.

I often sit back and think about the struggles that Justin and I went through to get our bundles of joy and still have to pinch myself. From tears, arguments, silent treatments, doctors, tests, and most of all, prayers, we ended up here. It was a long traveled road but all worth it in the end. Being parents has made us new people. I didn't think that it was possible for Justin and I to become any closer but having the girls in our lives has changed that. We have become closer than ever and continue to do so every day.

On this day one year ago I can remember waking up at 3:30 am with Justin by my side hearing the alarm clock go off. I remember thinking to myself, "We are meeting our babies today. Our lives are changing today." I can remember showering and preparing to "look my best" for the big day. As I sat down at my vanity and began to put on my make-up, Justin laughed and made fun of me for putting on make-up. I didn't care. Cameras would be there along with visitors and I was not about to look back 20+ years down the road and see how terrible I looked. We got to the hospital, my heart seemed to skip beats. When we walked into our room, I looked to the right and saw two beds for the babies. I started crying. I dressed in the infamous hospital gown, mascara pouring down my face (I don't know why I didn't choose waterproof mascara). We had numerous people come in to hook me up, monitor me, ask me a bazillion questions, medicate me, and do anything else but deliver my babies. I was so ready. At 6:43 am, my two nurses, two nurse anesthetists, anesthesiologist, pediatric nurses, and Lord knows who else strolled me back to the operating room. I said one last bye to Justin and he kissed me as they pushed me out the door. I smiled the entire way to the operating room. It was like a movie.

When we got into the room, Doctor G (Dr. Gordon) was on the phone and he saw them wheel me in. He quickly hung up the phone in mid conversation, which sounded like an important one, and hurried over to my side to hug me. He was wonderful. He joked with me about my make-up and how gorgeous I looked. He scored points with the emotionally huge pregnant woman. I looked around the room and didn't see Justin. I asked where he was and they told me he was dressing and would be in after they got my spinal done. As they prepared me for surgery I looked around the room. It was like a mad house, a very organized mad house. There were people everywhere. There were:
-2 nurses for myself
-2 pediatric nurses
-2 nurse anesthetists
-1 anesthesiologist
-2 pediatricians
-2 extra nurses
-2 surgeons (Dr. Gordon and Dr. Farmer)
-2 surgical nurses
-and about 15 nursing students there to observe. Surprise!

We laugh at this. We don't know what one of anything is like anymore.

After they "prepared" me for surgery, they brought in Justin. After he sat down and got the camera ready everything happened so fast. As Doctor Gordon started the operation, a class of student nurses came in to watch (there they were, about 15 of them with their instructor plus the rest of the "Team"). As I lay there, I was feeling so sick and feeling so much pressure. It seemed to last forever. Then IT happened. I heard the most beautiful voice in the world. Alexandra Lynn Armstrong was born at 7:22 am and Justin cried. Then came the other most beautiful voice in the world (not very happy, though). Olivia Grace Armstrong was born at 7:23 am. Justin cried more. They quickly cleaned them off and handed them to their adorable, amazing, proud father. He showed them to me and we locked eyes in amazement. He kissed me and we both cried. They let us have a few minutes with them before they took them away. The nurse anesthetists were so incredibly sweet. They took turns filming everything for us so that we could focus on the glorious moments. Below is the video of the girls being brought into our lives.

After they took the girls, they made Justin leave so they could finish whatever they were doing behind that curtain. Justin kissed me, told me he loved me, and told me he was proud of me.

After Justin left, it was like a switch had been turned on. I got so sick from the anesthesia and other medicines. I stayed sick until about 10:30 am. They took me back to the room where Justin was waiting for me with our beautiful babies. I don't remember anything until about 10:30 am. I do remember being sick and having tons of doctors and nurses coming in and out checking on me. Justin stayed by my bedside the entire time helping me. He would stay with me a few minutes and then walk over to the girls in their beds to check on them.

Our families got to the hospital around 7:00 that morning. I told them that surgery wasn't until then and just to get there then. I didn't want them up there waiting for hours and hours. Well, they ended up waiting for hours and hours. They were so anxious and excited. Justin and I told our families that we wanted to be with the babies by ourselves after surgery for a little while and they could come back later. We thought that we would be able to have them back to see all of us around 8:30 or 9:00 am. Wrong! I was so sick and didn't even get to hold my babies until 10:30. Poor Justin was all by himself battling the front lines. Our family was waiting for us in the room before we came back from surgery but the nurses kicked them out before we returned. Everything ended up being perfect, though. I started feeling better and after begging and pleading to me, I told Justin the families could come back. Remember, I still had not held either of my babies. Finally once everyone came back, I was feeling better and able to hold my perfect miracles.

Words cannot explain the way I felt when I held them. It really was like a dream. I felt as if I was not even in my body. Justin had the honor of handing Allie to me. As he brought her to me I watched him walk over to me just staring at her. He placed her in my arms and I couldn't breath. I don't remember if my heart stopped or not, but I didn't care. She was the most amazing, beautiful, perfect thing in the world. There we were with our first born. Everyone was crying. I just stared at her. I asked Justin to get Olivia. He brought her over. Again, just staring at her. He placed her in my arms and I cried. My body was so full of excitement that I could not control the tears of happiness. I stared at them both forever. There were cameras flashing, videos being recorded, hands being shook, tears being wiped, and silent prayers being said.

Justin and I talk about that day everyday. We cannot imagine our lives without them. People ask us all the time, "What's it like with two?" Well, we don't know what it's like with one so two is just like one. I am not going to sugar coat it and act like super woman. Being parents is the toughest job EVER. There were nights that Justin and I thought we would never survive. We thought we would die from sleep deprivation. We have soldiered through diapers, bottles, feedings, laundry, colic, ear infections, stomach viruses, tears, crying, colds, schedules, and it has been pure BLISS.

I wanted to take time and post this because I appreciate everyone who has been there for us this past year. Thank you to our family, friends, and most importantly Christ our Savior.

Happy Birthday to our beautiful and perfect girls, Allie and Olivia. We love you and cannot wait to see what this year brings.

The night before our lives changed forever

The shock of our life

2011-06-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

Where do I begin? The title says it all. We found out yesterday that Allie and Olivia are going to be big sisters!! Yes, that's right, Justin and I are expecting another miracle. This is a total shock to us and everyone else. Justin is beyond excited, as am I, but I am also scared to death. I never thought I could love someone so much before I met Allie and Olivia. I am praying that I will have enough love to go around for everyone. I know that God doesn't give you anymore than you can handle and I keep telling myself that. I believe it, I'm just scared to death. We were told that we would more than likely not be able to conceive on our own (without fertility treatments again). Well, I don't have a medical degree but it seems to me that they are incorrect. I just spoke with my nurse and she said that my lab work is great. All of my levels are perfect and we will move forward with appointments and ultrasounds. At this point we have no idea if we are pregnant with multiples this time. We will find out in four weeks. Please keep us in your prayers as we adjust to the shock and excitement.

On a second note, our babies will be one next month and we are celebrating their birthday here in Dothan with all of our family and friends. I cannot believe they will be one. the girls and new baby will be 20 months apart. I guess God originally really did want us to three children close together.

Engagement Party, Big Girl Seats, and French Fries

2011-05-24T07:09:00.000-07:00

What a busy, busy, busy two weeks it has been! We have been on the go and are just now starting to wind things down. Let's see, in the past two weeks:

Aunt Whit and Mr. Kevin came to visit
Mother's Day
Mallory graduated
Papa Bo, Gigi, and Grandma came to visit
Mimi came to visit and we went to a festival
Uncle Ray and Gandy came to visit
Mallory and Timmy's engagement party
Gandy came, again, to visit
The girls started walking in the middle of all of this
And this is the last week of school!!!!! WHEW!!! I'm ready for a break.

Here are some pictures from the last two to two and a half weeks. Have a great week!!

The Engagement Party on Saturday

The buffet

My beautiful cup cakes that I made

My favorite part of all the decorations.

Me and the bride to be!!

Justin and his future brother in law, Timmy!

Me and my wonderful husband.

The future Mr. and Mrs. Cutts

Justin, Mallory, Timmy, and me

Big Girl Seats

The girls have grown out of their old car seats and it was time to make the change. As you can see we are about to grow out of our car, too. They are so much happier being turned around. I cannot believe they will be a year old in July.

Olivia (L) and Allie (R)

Allie trying to get her duck

Olivia enjoying the scenery

French Fries
The girls had their first french fry experience this past weekend. Do you think they liked them?

Olivia (L) and Allie (R)

YUMMY!

Olivia couldn't get it in her mouth fast enough.

I'll take another, please!

Racing, Lake, and Bubbles!

2011-05-18T06:04:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from the past few weeks.

The girls love their walkers/cars/I don't know what they are called. We put them at the start line and look who won! The winner is .................................... ALLIE ARMSTRONG!!!

Next, we took the girls to the lake for the very first time and they had a blast on the sand. The water was a little chilly, but they were just fine with staying on the sand. Before we even got out the door the girls broke out from the sun screen and we had to wipe down and start all over.

Lastly, this past weekend we blew bubbles with the girls. They LOVE bubbles! They can't get enough bubbles. We had to tie up their dresses because while they were sitting down, they were getting caught in them and falling/tripping over them. They look a little red neck. :-)

Allie trying to catch one.

Olivia trying to clap at them.

Olivia was trying to climb up me to get to them and Allie was intensely watching them.

Ooooooooo. Aghhhhhhh!

Allie got one on her hand and tried to eat it.

Olivia trying to show me how to blow bubbles.

Mallory's Graduation

2011-05-18T05:42:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, Justin's sister, Mallory graduated from Nursing school. Justin's Dad, Mom, Grandmother, and Mallory's good friends from Opelika all drove down for the ceremony and little reception we had at the house. Justin's Mom and Grandmother worked hard all day in the kitchen to prepare everything after the ceremony and Justin's Dad grilled in the hot sun. Thank y'all for coming and doing all of the hard work.

Congratulations Mallory!!!!!!! Next on the agenda.........the wedding!!!!!!

Here are some pictures from the pinning ceremony.

Randy, Darlene, and Mallory before the pinning

Mallory and her wonderful Grandmother

The future Mr. and Mrs. Cutts

Meg, Mallory, and Tom

Mallory and her sweet mama.
This picture makes me tear up.

The whole crew.

The dessert I made. I was so proud of myself with these. Justin helped, too :-)

Mallory holding the present we got her.

Allie's Turn

2011-05-16T06:12:00.000-07:00

I told you! Allie is now officially walking. That didn't take long. I don't have a video yet, but I will have one tonight. That is, if I'm not running around trying to catch babies. God love them. Pray for Justin and me.

My Mom came down this weekend and we had a great time. Here is Mom with Allie and Olivia in the background. We took a break from dancing to snap a picture. We love you, Mimi.

Here We GO!!!

2011-05-11T16:03:00.000-07:00

It's official. We have a walker! Olivia is walking EVERYWHERE. Below is a short video of Olivia strolling around the house. Both of the girls have been taking steps and falling but Olivia decided to go full force on Sunday. That's right. She started walking on Mother's Day.

Allie is not far behind on this. She was the first to take a step but is trying to get the process right. She's our cautious one. Allie now has four teeth and we are all ready for a break on this teething thing. Maybe we'll get lucky. Enjoy.

Stay tuned for more videos and Mallory's graduation festivities!! Congrats Mallory!

P.S. Excuse the mountain of laundry in the back ground, although that is just a tip of the ice berg.

Allie takes a Step

2011-04-29T11:07:00.000-07:00

Wednesday Allie took her first step!! I am so excited about this because both Justin and I were there to witness it, together. Let me be clear, though. She is not walking by herself. She can stand by herself and balance without holding on to anything. She did this the other night as she let go of my leg after pulling up on it and I backed away from her and motioned for her to come to me. She took one step and I was so excited I grabbed her up and kissed her as much as I could. She probably would have taken more steps had I let her keep going. I was too excited by gosh. I immediately started calling our family. The picture below was taken with Justin's phone. Allie is standing by herself in the middle of the room trying to figure out where to go. WAY TO GO, ALLIE!!!!!

Excuse our house. It looks like an atomic bomb went off in our den.

You can see Olivia in the background trying to get to the computer on the table. We were skyping with my Mom at the time. The girls love skyping. They know more about the computer than I do.

Meet the Easter Bunny

2011-04-21T05:53:00.000-07:00

The girls met the Easter Bunny yesterday. It went a lot better than we thought. We thought Olivia would be the one to have a melt down. Nope. They both did great. They were, of course, very curious. Allie held it together until the very last picture. I was very proud and impressed with how well they acted.

Happy Easter!

Allie (L) and Olivia (R)

"Well, hello."

"Okay. One picture only, people."

"You're starting to creep me out."

"I've had enough Save me Mommy!"

Easter Pictures and 9 Months

2011-04-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

So here they are. Erica did a FANTASTIC job. Thank you again, Erica. There are more pictures but I only had time to put these on here. Enjoy. Happy Easter!!!!

The Armstrongs

Justin was being silly

Olivia (L) and Allie (R)

Allie

Olivia

Olivia (L) and Allie (R)

Allie

Olivia

Allie

Olivia

Allie

Olivia

Allie

Olivia

9 Months

2011-04-18T11:24:00.000-07:00

Well, the girls are 9 months now. Wow, I cannot believe our babies are 9 months old. We went to the doctor and here are their latest stats.

Allie
Height    29.5     94% Percentile
Weight   21.10   87% Percentile
Head      44.1 cm
Two middle teeth on the bottom with one budding at the top.
Clapping along to Patty Cake.
Crawling like crazy.
Pulling up on everything.
Walking while holding on to objects.
Waves bye-bye.
Has separation anxiety big time!
Allie is coming off of her Zantac this week for her reflux. YAY!

Olivia
Height    29.5     94% Percentile
Weight   22.2     91% Percentile
Head      44.3 cm
Two middle teeth on the bottom with one budding at the top.
Clapping along to Patty Cake.
Can play Peek a boo.
Crawling like crazy.
Pulling up on everything.
Walking while holding on to objects.
Waves bye bye.
Has stranger and separation anxiety like crazy!

All in all the girls are growing perfectly! Doctor Adams is amazed at how healthy and strong they are. He said they are developmentally ahead of  other babies their age. That makes me so happy. As a parent you always wonder if you are doing something wrong or not doing enough of something. Doctor Adams assured me that our babies are growing and developing perfectly.

The girls are down to two bottles a day now; a morning and night bottle. This is so nice. Those of you who can remember when they were younger, we were going through 12 bottles a day with each girl (sometimes more) totalling up to 24 BOTTLES a day!! I hated bottles, especially washing them. Now we are at 4 bottles a day, HALLELUJAH!!!!!

And oh goodness these girls LOVE to eat. The girls are eating us out of house and home. This has always been a concern of mine. Am I feeding my babies too much? Are they eating enough? Am I going to starve them? I am very cautious of what my babies eat and how much. I don't mean to sound like one of those moms that puts their kids on diets or feeds their babies so much they become obese. I want my girls to be healthy just like anyone else.

The girls are still on their strict schedule. People poke fun and even criticize the way we stay on this schedule. If you have one baby and especially multiples, then you know a schedule is a NECESSITY to SURVIVE!!!! Go ahead and make fun, criticize, or talk about me behind my back our Doctor told us today that our girls are developmentally ahead of other babies and they are right on track for their age, we are doing something right.

Here are a few pictures from the last two weeks.

Allie (L) and Olivia (R) in their wagon they got for Christmas from their Great Great Grandmother. Thank you Granny Lacy! The girls LOVE this wagon.

Allie (L) and Olivia (R) during bath time. They love their bath.

(Allie)
Does this child look like her Daddy or what?

(Olivia)
"Hmmm, I wonder if this tastes any good."

Allie and Justin
This makes my heart melt. Allie has had a bad time with these silly teeth coming in. Justin always knows how to calm her down.

And here comes Olivia. I promise my babies wear pants. I don't know why she doesn't have her pajama bottoms on.

The next four pictures the girls are in outfits that my sister, Whitney, and I wore when we were their age. The girls wore these to church on Sunday and as we were walking into church, I said to the girls, "You girls are wearing outfits that Aunt Whit and I wore when we were your age." Justin quickly came back and said, "Wow girls, these are 30 years old." I quickly corrected him and stated that the outfits are 27 years old, not 30. Funny guy.

Allie in a two piece smocked dress with a hand embroidered overlay.

Allie

Olivia in a smocked jumper with a tie sash in the back.

Olivia

Aunt Whitney and I bought the girls a bowling set. Let me tell you, the girls LOVE this thing.

Allie (L) and Olivia (R). They love the bowling balls. It came with two, how nice.

Justin set them up for us.

Justin showing the girls what to do. Coaching them.

Allie bowled first!!!! She got her first strike!

She was ready to do it again.

Olivia wanted to keep her ball all to herself.

"Nobody is taking this away from me! Can anyone see me?"

We had pictures done with an amazing photographer, Erica Hartzog, on Tuesday of last week. We made the girls 9 month pictures, Easter pictures, and family Easter pictures. I'm headed tomorrow to pick them up. I cannot wait to see them. As soon as I get them, I'll post some.

Happy Monday!!!

A Kind Act

2011-04-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

Today I was moved. This may sound like something so small to you but it moved me. Often times we are reminded that there are still kind people out there in this crazy world. Today, I found one. I made a fast run to Chick-Fil-A for lunch before my next student today. I ordered at the window and waited in line to pay. As I reached the window to pay and get my order the sweet girl said to me, "The lady in front of you paid for your lunch." I said, "Excuse me?" The young girl said that the lady was listening to a christian radio station and they encourage people each day to do a kind act for someone each day. Well, this sweet woman in front of me left me emotionally moved along with the note below. The girl at the window saw that I was moved and asked me if I was okay. I don't know why I got so teary eyed. I encourage you to do an act of kindness for someone you don't know today....................I have :-)

Rub a Dub Dub

2011-03-30T08:41:00.000-07:00

This s a quick post to make you smile. These were from last night in the bath tub.

Have a great Wednesday!!!!!

Olivia

Allie

Justin took these with his phone. Not the best quality but very cute.

Lesson #1: Sharing

2011-03-23T18:23:00.000-07:00

Lesson #1: Sharing
All I can say is that it's a work in progress.
Enjoy.

Look what we can do!

2011-03-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

A qoute from my Mom, Paula. "When your babies can hold their own bottles, it is a great day."
My response.............. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The girls can finally hold their own bottles. They did this this morning as I was trying to get ready for work. They have worked really hard at this. Way to go girls!!!!!!!!!!

Allie (left) and Olivia (right)

The First of Many Firsts

2011-03-23T07:59:00.000-07:00

First, I have to say that I am in love with this weather. I cannot remember the last time it was so gorgeous. Anyway, Sunday Justin and I took the girls on their very first picnic. I'm making a big deal of this because ever since I can remember wanting to have kids a picnic with the family has been a must. So, here are a few pictures and a video of our relaxing, wonderful, beautiful, and memorable FIRST picnic as a family. Also, below are some pictures from the park Saturday and grilling out later that night.

This is a video of me with Olivia (first) walking and then Allie walking. Please excuse my extremely white complection. Not only do I hate the sound of my voice on video but I hate my glowing white skin, too. Next trip is to the beach to get a tan. LOL.

P.S. Justin didn't like me posting this video becuase of the comment he made about Olivia's shorts. I think it's funny.

I'm Wild!

I bought the girls this cloth book with all sorts of pages of animals, textures, and sounds. Their favorite page......the mirror. The are so vane!!

Our beautiful babies in zebra print. They make it work.

She kept leaning back to see what was touching her head.

Olivia's first real boo-boo. She ran into a table and knocked the lamp off and here is her battle scar.

Olivia

Allie

Allie making all the noise

Allie did not want to leave this thing

Allie

Olivia

Olivia doing some chewing before dinner

Olivia kissing the camera

"Do I have something in my nose?"

Olivia waving to the plane above our house

Silly Daddy!!

Balloons

2011-03-11T09:59:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't like a good balloon? Last night we went out for our anniversary to La Parilla, our FAVORITE Mexican restaurant. We brought the girls along with us and boy did they have a blast. Of course the hostess put us slap in the middle of the restaurant. We are already a show when people see us, but then stick us in the middle of the restaurant for people to watch our every move is not what we wanted. Our waiter fell in love with them. He thought that they were the most adorable things and brought them balloons. They thought this guy hung the moon and LOVED these balloons. (These were taken with my phone, so they are a little grainy.)

Allie

Olivia

Today

2011-03-10T05:43:00.000-08:00

Four years ago today I married an amazing man. A man who has taught me and showed me many things. He has filled my life with love, laughter, hope, security, and happiness. He has made it an awesome adventure and I could not imagine traveling through life with anyone else.

Thank you, Justin, for.........

always being there for me.
laughing at my not so funny jokes, stories, and comments.
dealing with my obsessive compulsions.
eating meals that you may not like that I cook.
smiling and telling me I'm beautiful when I have no makeup on.
loving me for being a dork.
sharing your life with me.
bringing me lunch.
making me laugh until I can't breath.
being considerate and respectful.
telling me you love me all the time.
being the father of our perfect little girls.
giving me everything.
having/learning patience.
being optimistic when we both know when something isn't going to be okay.
supporting me in EVERY decision I make or we make together.
telling me I look skinny when I don't.
telling me I'm perfect and I'm not.
taking care of me when I'm sick.
listening to my day, whether it was good or bad.
accepting my family as yours.
letting me ramble on and on and on and on and on when my stories have no point.

and

choosing me to be the one to go through life with you.

I have had the time of my life so far and cannot wait to see what more God has planned for us. I love you.

Our engagement picture. My favorite picture of us.

The day after we got engaged (July 2006)

At our rehearsal dinner at Fountianview Mansion. Do we look young and skinny or what?

Rehearsal dinner at Fountainview Mansion. Everything was so beautiful and delicious.

The brothers and sisters (L to R Mallory, Justin, me, Whitney, and Stan) at the Rehearsal dinner at Fountainview Mansion

The beautiful church Justin grew up in and we were married in.

My brother, Stan, and Justin

Justin and his beautiful sister

My sister, Whitney, helping me get dressed.

Justin and my gorgeous Maids.

Me and the Maids.

Brother Earl, Rev. Rick, Justin, and his Dad

During the ceremony

Our first kiss as Mr. and Mrs. Justin Daniel Armstrong

Mr. and Mrs. Justin Daniel Armstrong

Rev. Rick Lane, Me, Justin, and Rev. Earl Ballard

Our first official photo as Mr. and Mrs. Justin Daniel Armstrong

The wedding party
Back Row Left to Right (Mallory, Lori, Lee, Dave, Stan, Casey)
Middle Row Left to Right (Kristin, Brandi, Whitney, Me, Justin, Randy, Dusty)
Front Row Left to Right (Rachel, Kamren, Hayley, Leigh, Brooks, Richie, Jesse)

Cutting the Brides cake

Toasting at the reception. The most fun I have ever had!

Leaving the reception.

Our honeymoon in Hawaii. This is the real background, people. We went to a Luau and ended up having dinner with Danity Kane (anyone remember them?) It was amazing.

My sweet husband rinsing off our shoes outside of our room.

Us on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. We were too late in the season for the pipe waves.

And finally, thank you to our parents, family, and friends for supporting us and giving us the wedding day of our dreams. Thank you to our parents for instilling the values of honesty, respect, hard work, and love in us. You have made us the people we are today. We love you.

Pray

2011-03-09T06:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I found out that a girl I went to college with died, along with her 15 onth old son. It was a tragic accident and has shaken me to my core. She was a beautiful woman and a fantastic teacher. Why does it always take a tragic event to put things in perspective? Please, please, please pray for this amazing woman, her baby, the husband left behind, and her family. They need your prayers more than ever now. Go home today, hug and kiss your spouse, your children, and your parents. You never know what will happen today or tomorrow. I urge you to call someone you deeply love right now and tell them how much you love them. Don't forget to pray for this family.

RELAX

2011-03-07T06:24:00.000-08:00

This has been the word of the month. My husband, Mom, and Maryann have been telling me to do this for the past four weeks. For some reason the word relax has never been in my vocabulary. I have never really been able to relax or calm down. I have always worried about something or needed to be doing something. This is hard to do when you have never really done it. I decided to try it out.this weekend and it was just what the doctor ordered. Justin was off all weekend and we didn't have any visitors, so it was just us and the girls (we love when we have guests come and visit, but it was nice to have a weekend together). Have you ever just had one of those weekends that you wish could happen everyday? Everything about this weekend was so nice. The weekend was all about the girls. For once, the laundry was on hold, the stove was not used, the broom was stationary. I RELAXED! I enjoyed everything about this weekend. Here are the girls in the pack and play in the backyard on Saturday while we were grilling out with Aunt Mallory. They are dressed and ready for St. Patrick's Day! Have a great week.

Olivia (L) and Allie (R)
Allie pulled up all by herself yesterday morning!!!! Way to go Allie!

Allie is on the Move

2011-03-04T13:00:00.000-08:00

Here is a video of Allie crawling from yesterday, the day she started crawling. I put my gold bracelet in front of her (bait) and she crawled to get it. Maryann is videoing and I'm holding Olivia in the background. Once Allie gets the bracelet we start yelling and it scared her. Watch her reaction. Way to go, ALLIE!!!

On the Move

2011-03-04T08:22:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official. I am the busiest woman in the world (or so it feels like)!!! Allie started crawling yesterday! YAY! And let me add....... she has not stopped. Last night the girls woke up at 1:00 am and didn't go back to sleep until 4:30 am! I attribute this to not taking their late afternoon nap + teething + having new tricks = wanting to wake up and play. Not cool. Olivia has been waking up in the middle of the night for some reason screaming her head off and I have had to rock her back to sleep each time. Allie has been sleeping all night. It seems that they have switched up on me. Last night was not a "good" night. I'm walking around today like a zombie. I turned my alarm clock off this morning and overslept (by over sleeping I mean waking up at 6:00 am instead of 5:15 am to shower and get ready before the girls get up.)

All of the negative aside Justin and I are so excited that Allie is crawling. It has frustrated her to no end. She has watched Olivia for 2 weeks now and has wanted to crawl and pull up, too. She is definitely crawling and trying very hard to get her arm muscles strengthened to pull up. She will be pulling up by the time I get home from work today, I'm sure.

I couldn't get a good picture of Allie last night before bath and bed time because she was crawling everywhere and would not sit still long enough for me to get a picture. Unfortunately my camera battery was dead and all I had last night was my phone to take pictures with. It isn't the best picture, but it will do.

Olivia picking out a book before bath time. The girl is obsessed with books. I guess we are doing something right.

Maryann was going to video Allie crawling today and get some pictures with her camera. I'll post them as soon as I get them. They are growing up so fast. It's hard to believe they'll be 8 months old Monday.

The Playground

2011-03-03T07:36:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I cannot for the life of me figure out how to make all of my pictures into a collage. If you know how, please HELP me!! Here are some pictures of the girls and Justin's parents this past weekend at Miracle Field. Some of the pictures are from our front yard on the quilt on Sunday. The girls had a great time and so did Papa Bo and Gigi. Thank you both for coming and spending time with us! We always love when you come. Enjoy!

A few quick stats at 8 Months old (3/7/11):

Allie

has two teeth (both front bottom teeth are in)
trying to crawl and pull up
loves to scream and squeal
can go super fast in her walker

Olivia

has two teeth (both front bottom teeth are in)
crawling EVERYWHERE and pulling up on EVERYTHING
ear infection is cleared up
trying to walk while holding on to something (oh dear!)

Papa Bo with Allie and Gigi with Olivia

Gigi swinging the girls

Papa Bo with the girls

The girls were very interested in this. It made different noises and you could beat on the drums.

Olivia (L) and Allie (R) playing in the clovers before Olivia tackled Allie

And there it is. Olivia loves to crawl all over Allie.

Olivia trying to eat the ruffles on Allie's shirt.

Looking for a four leaf clover.

Allie taking Olivia's hat off. Our friend Molly made these and she did an awesome job. Though, she didn't originally make them for my babies. She made them for another friend with twins and I loved them so much she gave them to us. She is very talented. Thank you, MOLLY!!!!!

Papa Bo and Gigi with the girls.

Allie swinging

She loves to bight her bottom lip.

Allie trying to walk

YAY!!!!

Angel

Sitting like a big girl on the jungle gym

Allie in her new hat

Allie swapped hats with Olivia and chewed on her hat for a while. Teething stinks!

Hehehehehe

I can do that too, Papa Bo!

Allie was trying the french style

My FAVORITE picture of this bunch

So serious.

She cannot stay away from the pine straw.

Needless to say, Olivia LOVES swinging!!!!!

See, I told you

Gigi with Olivia

Papa Bo with Olivia

Olivia in her new hat

I joke with people and tell them that the only thing these babies got from me were my blue eyes and cleft chin. Justin has both, too. They don't look anything like me.

Olivia wanted to try out the camera.

She can't sit down now that she has her new trick.

So, Olivia ventured off the quilt and saw a pine cone..........

"I don't know about this. It feels funny."

Almost there........

"Whatever"