Baptism and a few other pictures.

Caleb on the left, Joel on the right.

Baptism, Sheri is holding Caleb, Ryan is holding Joel

We had Caleb & Joel baptized on Sunday, Dec. 28 because Sheri's parents were both out. The boys did very well through the whole service (and Kiera did too!)

Can you tell who is who?

First Week at Home

Sheri holding Joel (L) and Caleb (R)

Caleb

Joel

Kiera playing with Caleb (L) and Joel (R)

Ready to leave the Hospital

Oma meets Caleb & Joel for the first time.

A few more

Twin cousin Jacob holding his new twin cousins.

Grandma Link feeding Joel a bottle to supplement his feeding.

Grandpa Link feeding Caleb his bottle.

Sleeping side by side again. Caleb on left, Joel on right.

More Pictures from Day 2

Just before bedtime

Kiera found a fun place to play

Ryan's uncle Tim and his daughters Sam & Steph came to visit

Andrew, a twin cousin, holding his new twin cousins (does that make sense?)

Kiera & Andrew making sure the trains and Little People are doing ok.

Kiera checking out Caleb (left) and Joel (right).

More Pictures

One thing we have already learned is that they like to spend time in the same cradle. Caleb is on the left, Joel on the right.

Caleb on Left, Joel on Right.

Caleb on Left, Joel on Right

Caleb on Left, Joel on Right

If a picture is worth a thousand words then this clearly describes Kiera's thoughts about having some competition for mommy and daddy! We thought this pic was so cute and she got over these feelings pretty quickly!

It's a boy...times two!!

We just wanted to let everyone know that our family has officially grown as of 9:40 this morning. Caleb Dean was born first and Joel Ryan was only seconds behind. Caleb weightd 5 pounds 15 ounces and was 19 inches long. Joel weighed 6 pounds 2 ounces and was 20 inches long. Both of them have very blonde hair, just like Kiera did when she was born. They both are very healthy and didn't need to spend any time in the NICU. Sheri is also doing very well. She is feeling really good and did great through the whole process. Sheri's Dr. decided on Wednesday to schedule a C-Section for this morning because she had made it to 37 weeks and Baby B looked like he was going to go breach. Sheri was very relieved to hear this news and it was nice to finally have an end date in site. Here are a few pictures to wet your appetite. We will post more in the days to come.

Kiera, Caleb, and Daddy

Joel Ryan

Caleb Dean

Still no babies...

Well, we made it to 36 weeks without any problems. I was hoping I wouldn't have to post the next months picture, but here we are. We are now praying that any day these two babies will decide to make their way into the world. As of Wednesday, one was 5 lbs. 3 oz. and the other was 6 lbs. 3 oz. (with about a 1 pound discrepancy either way), so they are easily big enough to function on their own. The ultrasound showed them pretty scrunched up and cozy in there! Where they find the room, I do not know. I thought about making some extra cash in my final days and being Santa Claus somewhere. Just give me a beard and a red suit, I don't even need to be stuffed! My life is getting extremely difficult. Getting dressed, sleeping, sitting, eating, all the normal tasks are very hard to do. I am overall very uncomfortable and incredibly sore. But, the babies are doing great, so we keep focused on the goal to receive a great reward at the end!

Ryan's parents and brother came over for Thanksgiving yesterday. We ordered a meal from the local grocery store which turned out to be pretty good! We weren't sure if we would be in the hospital, so we didn't want to spend too much time preparing. We had a very relaxing day together and enjoyed lots of food and fellowship. We have so much to be thankful for and praise God for his awesome blessings!

A pregnant woman's Christmas List...

Okay, I know it isn't quite Thanksgiving yet, but since I really can't do anything but sit, I figured it was time to enjoy a little humor at my expense. As I see the TV commercials and talk to people about Christmas shopping and what everyone wants for Christmas, I got to thinking about what exactly I would like this year....

1. Be able to put my socks on without tipping over (I don't even go out of the house to bother with shoes)
2. To wear a shirt that actually covers my stomach completely
3. To bend over and pick something up that I've dropped...and not have to hear Kiera come running and without question pick it up for me
4. Climb the stairs in under 5 minutes and not be huffing and puffing at the top
5. To roll over in bed without Ryan wondering if I've gone into labor
6. To actually get out of bed without needing a crane and a lift
7. Eat dinner at the table without Kiera commenting "Mommy, you need a big bib"
8. Eat dinner without getting stuck under the table
9. Oh to wear a winter coat...and have it close in front!
10. Wear clothes made for a 5' 7" person rather than clothes of a 6'3" person...namely my husband. I don't think either of us ever thought we'd see the day.

Yes, carrying twins has been quite the challenge and experience. We are almost at 36 weeks and only have 2 to go. Everything is going great. I've had a few contractions here and there and basically do nothing anymore. The babies are about 6 pounds each and are more than welcome to arrive anytime!!! In all seriousness, our greatest and most sincere Christmas wish is this:

~To welcome 2 healthy babies and celebrate the gift of new life at such a special time as Christmas! God has definitely blessed us with such a great pregnancy and we pray that the next 3 weeks go smoothly.

Thanks so much for your support and prayers. We hope to have news soon!!!!

First Snow

We had our first official snow the first weekend of November. We didn't get very much but Kiera had a lot of fun playing in it. By now it has all melted away and Kiera is eagerly awaiting more snow and "Christmas Time" so we can turn our Christmas lights on!



This is what happened when we came in the house to warm up after being outside in the snow. Kiera decided to pick up one of Sheri's books, get comfortable, and give it a read. I wonder where she learned this?

Hodge Podge

We are posting a variety of pictures from the last month. We aren't so great at getting things up weekly. Hope you enjoy. I'll start from the top:

Sheri 8 months pregnant...even I couldn't believe how much I had grown in the last month. Compare the size from the previous blog entry and you'll be amazed! I am a little worried where these babies are going to go in the next month. On Wednesday they were 4 pounds each and should start gaining a half a pound a week! Yikes! I am definitely hoping for 2 turkeys to arrive for Thanksgiving rather than Christmas! We are so thankful they are doing well and growing strong.

The next picture is of a baby shower our church gave us. Because our church is so big and someone has a baby almost every week, they only throw showers for twins. We were pretty excited about this as there were some larger items we needed yet. It was a success and we feel so blessed by all the outpouring of support and generosity. Thanks everyone!

The next couple pictures are of Ryan and Kiera "carving" a pumpkin. We decided to skip the mess this year and go with a princess potato head that sticks in the pumpkin. Kiera loved it and did it over and over until the pumpkin literally fell apart!

We took Kiera to a local apple orchard/farm to pick her pumpkin. They have a little animal area there with ducks, rabbits, and horses as well as train rides, pony rides, and apple/pumpkin picking. We took a horse drawn hayride out to the pumpkin patch to get our pumpkin. Kiera had a blast and it was a beautiful day! She was a little unsure about getting a free apple from the live scarecrow!

Long Overdue...

Well, this post is definitely long overdue ( no pun intended). I notice that it has been almost two months since we wrote anything!!! We sure have been busy! Kiera and I took a trip to WA to see my family...a road trip mind you (2 adults and 3 kids). My sister and I went together and had a fun time driving out there together and the kids did great! It was lots of fun to hang out with the family. Now we have just been busy with church activities and day to day stuff. We included some pictures of Kiera and some of her cousins (who she LOVES hanging out with! ). Ryan was in charge of putting a festival together to kick off the new year and that's why the kids are riding in the train. Kiera could have ridden in that all day. She loved it! Now that all our traveling is done, we are quickly preparing for the twins to arrive. So far everything has been going great and I have had no problems. I am 28 weeks now (7 months), look 9 months, and feel about 13! I included two pictures of me. One is of me 9 months pregnant with Kiera and the other is as up to date of a picture as you can get (today). So, any guesses which is which???? Sadly, the bottom one is of me right now! Quite the difference in size! I no longer fit in any of the clothes I wore with Kiera my ENTIRE pregnancy. The scary thing is that I still have 2 months to go!!!! Where are these babies going to fit??? Maybe I have a hollow leg....I am definitely slowing down and have boycotted cleaning my home or doing anything that involves bending over or getting on the floor. A twin pregnancy definitely takes it out of you! I told Ryan that if I had started with a twin pregnancy, we may not have had any more children. What a difference it makes and a toll it takes on a person! As of my ultrasound today, Baby A weighs 2 lbs. 10 oz and Baby B weighs 2 lbs. 8 oz. People deliver 6 pound babies!!!! Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are just so thankful that everything is progressing well and it looks as if we should be able to make it to 38 weeks (my doctor won't let me go past that thankfully). We appreciate your continued prayers and will try to update more frequently.

One year ago...

It was exactly one year ago that we finished taping up the boxes, loaded up the moving truck, and said our last good-byes to 6 years in Ripon. It is so hard to believe that a year has gone by! This last year seems to have flown and we feel very settled here in Sioux Falls. We definitely miss the close friendships we had which always take time in a new place; and can be frustrating at times. We definitely enjoy having family close by and Kiera loves having cousins to play with. Ryan has enjoyed his first year and continues to appreciate the close relationships and friendships that come with a large staff. I have enjoyed the numerous parks and family oriented activities that Sioux Falls has to offer as well as being able to stay at home full time and spend time just being a mom. We are scrambling to get ready now for the next life change and are so amazed at how much can change in just a year! We praise God for all the blessings we've had over the last year as well as for his continued guidance and direction in our careers, personal, and family lives. Thanks for sharing our journey with us this far!!!

Summer Fun

Kiera and cousin Eli hiding from the fireworks!
Sheri and best friend Val...black covers a lot of things (ex: pregnancies)
One of Kiera's 2 year pics.

At the zoo with cousins and aunties
Waiting for the parade...and the candy!
What a haul!!!! She got soooo much candy (thankfully she's forgotten about it all)


WOW! It has been over a month since we have posted anything. We sure have been busy! My (Sheri's) sisters Lisa and Tami were here for a visit. We had a lot of fun swimming, being together, and doing random activities. One day we took the kids to the zoo. They had a blast! We spent the 4th in Prinsburg with Ryan's family and enjoyed all the festivities there. We even took in a ski show! Had a short staff retreat at Green Lake, MN and then Sheri headed to Pella, IA for a wedding while Ryan headed to Michigan on SERVE. We have put a lot of miles on our car (we bit the bullet and traded our truck in for a minivan. 3 carseats would NOT have fit in any of our current vehicles). Between all our trips Ryan stays busy at work and manages to keep the lawn mowed and the garden weeded. Kiera and I have been babysitting a couple times a week along with spending time at the free wading pool down the street and staying cool in the basement from all the humidity. I continue to grow every day and am amazed at how big I am already at almost 5 months! So far the pregnancy is going well and I am able to do my normal day to day activities. My doctor has pushed my due date up to Thanksgiving time as with twins full term tends to be 37 weeks. I can't complain about that! We do have a lot to do in the meantime to prepare and look forward to things slowing down a little so that we can tackle some big projects before our lives change drastically! We are excited and continue to ask for your prayers that everything will continue to go smoothly and we will be able to carry these twins full term and without any complications! Enjoy these snapshots from the last month! I'll try to add some more later as our camera's batteries died and we couldn't upload all of them. So more to come...