Easter

As usual, we celebrate Easter on Saturday, so we can enjoy Sunday for what it is. A time to think of the Savior and His resurrection and not the Easter Bunny and candy. We celebrated with our friends, Rachel and John Heaton and their 3 sons on Saturday. We hid eggs in the yard, had hamburgers, played games, and just had fun.

We are lucky to have friends who want to play with us on demand. :) Okay, not on demand, but thankful for friends in deed. Especially when we have no family near. We are truly blessed with great friends wherever we go.

Happy Easter Everyone! I hope it was great and meaningful!

 

Uneventful Sickness

Nothing to post....in over a month. We have had sick kids here for about 3 weeks and I am going stir crazy. This is the worst week by far. The twins are on breathing treatments, I have pink eye in both eyes, the two boys have nasty noses, coughs, Sienna threw up at school yesterday....my oh my.

My hands are raw from washing them too much, and I am so tired of wiping runny noses, lysoling everything, passing out medicine, etc....:) Ahhhh the joys. )

Here is to Spring. May you come soon, may you bring sunshine and happiness...did I say soon?

And hopefully next week when the kids have spring break, we won't pass all the germs around again!

Blessing Day and Birthday!

Today we blessed the babies. :) It was fun to do it today because it is also Nelson's 33rd birthday! We were lucky to have some family come in and be with us. It is our first visitors from Nelson's side of the family since we moved here over a year ago! So that was exciting! We were so glad that they could come and be in the circle at church. It was also my first day going back to church and luckily there were others to help me. Although I spent the 2nd and 3rd hours in the nursing room! It was still fun to see people and go to church, although a little stressful.

All in all, it was a great day and their blessings were fantastic. A friend of mine, who had twin boy and girl also, took notes for me during their blessings! So that was nice and something I will always have.

All day I couldn't help but think of what a blessing it is for me to have these two sweet miracles. How sad Nelson and I were to lose the first set of twins we had, over 11 years ago. Every time I saw another twin blessing at church, I longed for my own twin babies. Although I know I will have an opportunity to have my first set again, my appreciation for these two is so great, my heart is bursting.  It is fitting that it is called a blessing...not only were they receiving their blessing and a name from Heavenly Father, but it is truly a day for me to count my own blessings.

I have many...but today, it is about these two.

 

 

 

Grandpa and Grandma Cluff

 

 

 

 

 

Happy 33rd Birthday Nelson! Love you bunches!

 

 

 

 

Albany by Day....

Today we planned on eating lunch out for Nelson's bday, (tomorrow), and then taking our family around Albany to see the sights. :) There aren't many, but nonetheless, there are some! :)
The best one is Cohoes Falls of course.

 




 

 

 

 

Then we just drove around and showed them Albany, downtown, and whatever else looked interesting. :) It was a fun day.

 

The kids are driving us crazy with Just Dance "Rasputine" the Russian song....they all love it and even Nick got in on the action!   We are all singing it in our sleep!

 

 

 

Cluff Family

Today Nelson's parents arrived for the babies' blessings on Sunday! Also Nick, Nelson's brother, and Corie (his wife) and their 5 kids! They drove all the way straight from Nebraska! We were so excited to see all of them we couldn't stand it! They were all here around 7pm! The kids were so excited to see their cousins, we haven't seen any of these guys since last July! So it was super fun!

Birth Day!

                                          

Well, good morning! Here I am ready to head to the hospital to deliver the babies! This was my final pic of pregnancy! HUMONGO!

I headed to the hospital around 6, I had to prep for 7:30 surgery. To say I was apprehensive is an understatement. I was a bit nervous for a c section, and the new experience and recovery it would require!

When we arrived at the hospital, they monitored the babies, asked more questions, gave me an iv (which is usually by far the worst part of the whole thing), washed my belly :), and just prepared I guess. Then they made me drink this nasty nasty nasty acid drink to help with any throwing up I may do....put my hat on, and walked me over the ER. Nelson wasn't allowed to come in until right before they cut me open, so I had to go in by myself. Being so hormonal, I thought I would cry when I walked into the operating room. That is a weird experience. There are at least 10-15 people in the room, including residents learning....and I had to get up on the operating table and get a spinal block. It was much like an epidural, only just a shot instead of a cord going into your back. I am not sure if I think it was any more or less painful than an epidural. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't fun either. Mostly uncomfortable and a somewhat painful, but not too bad. (And I am a wuss with pain!)

After I received the spinal block, I went numb relatively fast. They laid me down, and put up the curtain so I can't see anything. They scrubbed me up, with iodine and whatever else they do...I couldn't feel anything....and as they are waiting for the Dr., they wanted to make sure I was numb enough, so they poked my arm with a tack and asked If could feel that. Of course I could, I was numb from the chest down.....then they poke your stomach and ask if you can feel the same sharpness. At first, you can, but then it goes away. It is really weird, because the block takes away any sharpness or feeling of that sort, but you still feel the sensation of touch or pressure. Quite weird, but no pain. So finally they cut me open, and I didn't feel a thing...thank goodness! I felt a little pressure but nothing to make me sick. It was just weird. So our little Juliet Emma made her debut into this world at 8:11 am weighing 7lbs 3 oz. As she was coming out she was grabbing onto the suction tube...they all found that funny. 

Here is her first picture. (we had to hurry and take some and text them to Jayda at home so the kids could see them before they left for school!:) 

 

Jace Joseph made his debut a couple of minutes later at 8:13am weighing 7lbs 13 oz. He came out and started peeing....following in his big brother Kason's footsteps! :) 

 

 

I didn't really get to even see them until they took me into the recovery room. I started feeling really woozy and weird...not sick...just fuzzy headed and weird, so they showed me Juliet I think, but I just laid there with my eyes closed waiting for them to be done. Once both babies were out, my stomach felt better, but then I could feel the Dr. and the resident (who by the way delivered them really), pushing my organs around in there....that is what it felt like and Nelson said that is what they were doing. The anesthesiologist let Nelson take a peek a few times at what was going on, but he couldn't see much for the 2 Dr.s. Finally after what seemed a little long....I was done, they lifted me off onto my bed and took me to recovery to see these two cuties!

 

 

I was still feeling so weird, I couldn't even hold them, I felt weak and woozy and thought I may drop them. So that part was not fun. They said it was from the medicine they give you so you don't throw up. I didn't puke or even feel like it, but I was so woozy after it bothered me. It took a couple of hours to go away...which was a bummer!

 

So after I was in the recovery for awhile and all checked out well, they took me to my room. Then I got to enjoy looking at my two babies all I wanted! 

Here is Juliet, and a side view to see her pretty hair! :) She has lots of it in the back!

 

 

         

 

         Here is Jace and a side view...he doesn't have quite as much hair!

 

  

 

My two little angels!

 

I just kept looking at them thinking, seriously? Is this real? I can't believe there are two! I told Nelson one would just seem boring. :) I just can't believe it. 

Overall, having a c section wasn't too bad. I would definitely prefer a regular birth over a c-section any day, but I am glad they were born healthy with no problems! So I would do anything for that outcome! 

The kids and Nana came up to the hospital to see the babies, Halle was sick a bit, so had to wear a mask, but they just loved them! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a blessing. 2 in fact. So glad they are finally here. 

Definitely 2 tender mercies from our Heavenly Father.

 

 

Happy 9th Birthday Halle!

Today my little Halle turned 9! Although that isn't so little anymore! We had a party for her last Sat. just in case I went into labor (no chance). She invited some friends to go play glow in the dark golf at the mall. So we went and played, it was fun! Then we ate at the food court in the mall, and came back home for icecream and presents. (Halle doesn't really like cake, so we bought an icecream cake for her). I was all for it, since I am not much in shape to making a cake! :)

So, she has in a sense, had two birthdays. And the streamers, balloons, and signs have been up all week. :) Today we decided we would take her wherever she wanted for lunch. So we went to the Olive Garden. She had a great time. We let her spend some of her bday money at the store, and then had a movie night. I think she had 2 great bdays. I can hardly believe how time flies. I remember having her just like it was yesterday. And here we are, many kids later. :)
Happy Birthday Halle!!!! Mom and dad love your little sweet sensitive self!

 

 

 

Here are some pics of the birthday festivities last week.