Lulu's Bakery

A couple weeks ago, we were watching Man vs. Food...don't judge, you know you watch it too...and they were in San Antonio.  Those of you who know Tim know that he was beyond excited.  He set the DVR to record it so that we could watch it again, and be forewarned that any of you who come to visit us will be forced to watch it too.  Now it is Tim's ultimate desire to visit all of the food places that Adam (the host) went to.

Our first stop:  Lulu's Bakery & Cafe.

It was pretty easy for Tim to convince me to go along since the show featured their famous 3 pound cinnamon roll, and I am a sucker for good cinnamon rolls!  So, after feeding the babies this morning, we all loaded up, in the rain, and headed out.

When we drove into the parking lot, we saw tons of people standing outside, and Tim and I both groaned.  It seemed like we were going to have to wait.  I started to imagine waiting, outside in the rain, with two babies.  We decided that I would go in and see how long the wait would be and then we would decide if we could do it.  

Right as I walked in, there was a booth being cleaned by the front door.  I asked the waitress how long the wait was, and told her that we had infant twins and that we needed a booth just like "this one" as I pointed it to her.  She told me to bring them right in!  Just a perk of living the twin's life....

We got the babies, got settled, and began the wait.

Rhys & Mommy waiting for breakfast

Rhett was so excited while waiting that he drooled all over his bib!

Finally, the wait was over.  When the waitress brought it out, I started laughing.  It is so big that it is ridiculous.  I knew it was going to be big, I had seen it on t.v.  But it is even bigger than the t.v. can show.  Here it is....

Lulu's famous 3 pounder...before pic!

the roll was bigger than Rhett!

Here you can see it in comparison to a cup of coffee.  Tim also put his Aggie ring on the left of it.  What is it about Aggies always putting their rings in pictures?  Geez......

We cut right into it and wow....so good!  It was moist, and sweet, and gooey, and just perfect!  I was thinking that it might not be sweet enough since it is so much bread and the icing is just on the top.  I don't know how they do it, but it is the perfect sweetness throughout.  If you love cinnamon rolls, or even like them a little, you MUST try this place!

Digging in!

We ate, and ate, and ate.....and then we were stuffed.  Here is a picture of the cinnamon roll after we finished.

cinnamon roll after pic!

It was so fun to visit there.  Our waitress said that they make and sell hundreds of cinnamon rolls every day.  She said that many people will just come and get them to go.  Want to know how much one costs?

$8.49

And worth every penny!

If you live out of town, they will even mail them to you!  

Of course, we brought home our "leftovers."  The waitress said that it is good for 5 days, not to refrigerate it, and to treat it like a cake.  I'm wondering if we will really eat it all in the next few days...

Twins loved their first visit to Lulu's

We had a fun Saturday morning at Lulu's.  As we drove out of the parking lot, Tim informed me that we have to go back to Lulu's again soon because they also sell a huge chicken fried steak that is award-winning.  Oh my...

Stay tuned for more posts as we visit all the places on San Antonio's Man vs. Food.  I know you can hardly wait, right?  

Thumbs Up!

Rhys showing off her new skill

After a couple weeks of "practice" we now have a couple of thumb suckers!  It is so funny to watch them try to find their thumbs.  Rhys has perfected the art of finding her thumb....she raises her fist to her forehead, then slides it down her face to her open mouth!  She does this every time.

Rhys sucking away LOUDLY

Let's not forget about the boy.  He took a couple more days, but also finally found his thumb!

Rhett found his thumb!

Rhett does not have a system like Rhys does to find his thumb.....he just puts his whole fist up to his mouth and starts sucking away until he finds something to suck on.  Sometimes it is his whole fist, sometimes 2 fingers, and when he gets lucky, he finds his thumb.

Rhett slobbering over his thumb and entire hand

Some parents discourage thumb sucking, but we actually like it.  Even though we have bought tons of pacifiers, they are usually lost when we need them.  Those thumbs are always easy to find though!  We also think it is really cute.  So "thumbs up" to R & R for their new skill!

It Really IS a Twin's Life...

Sometimes, when you are a twin, life isn't fair.

You have to share your mom and dad with that other one.

You have to wait for things...things you don't want to wait for.

Things like a clean diaper, a hug, milk, a toy, being held, etc.

Sometimes you just want it now.

And when you don't get it now, you might do this:

Rhett demonstrating life as a twin

And what can I say, but, "It's a twin's life."

Looking Back....Maternity Pics

I wasn't really interested in taking maternity pictures.  I am not very photogenic, and I was sure that Tim would protest the thought of it as well.  The more I thought about it, though, I wondered if I would regret not having pictures to document this time in our lives.  Since I was not sure if I would ever be pregnant again, I decided that this was something I really wanted to do.  I eventually talked Tim into it....his only stipulation was that he "would not lay in a river with his shirt off hugging my bare belly."  What?  Not sure where Tim got that idea from!  It was hard, but I agreed to his demands.  :)

The photos were done by KAJ Photography.  We were so pleased with them!  Tim and I both felt so comfortable.  What we loved most of all is that we didn't feel like we were "posing."  Kim helped us to relax and was so fun to work with.

Here are a few of our favorite poses.

33 weeks!

Tim acting silly, as usual!

one of my favorites

that is a BIG belly!

this one is framed in the nursery

our all time fav picture

 I made a slideshow of all the pictures and posted it to my Facebook page, but I can't figure out how to get it on here.  Bloggy friends - please help!

4 Months

4 month old baby Aggies

So hard to believe that my little babies are 4 months old!  Tim and I find it simply amazing to be able to watch the changes that are taking place! We will go to the pediatrician next week for their 4 month checkup.  I'll post their stats later on.  Here is what the babies have been up to during this past month...

*We've started seeing lots of smiles and hearing lots of cooing!  It is so fun to watch the babies' expressions.
*Rolling over - a couple of times from tummy to back, but not on purpose yet.
*Starting to try to hold things or reach for things.
*Enjoy being held up over our shoulders so they can see everything that is going on.
*Both babies still love to be swaddled.  We actually double swaddle them!  Rhys is our "Houdini" and usually gets one arm out by morning!
*Started sleeping through the night...babies eat at 7pm and are in bed by 7:45 pm.  We don't see them again until 7am the next morning!  YAY for sleep!

Swaddled and ready for bed

Rhett
*absolutely LOVES his bouncer.  We call it his "big man chair."  He will sit there as long as we will let him!  He especially loves sitting in it by the back door where he can see outside.  We don't go outside much since it is so hot, so I'm sure he is curious as to what exists in that backyard!

Rhett lounging in his "big man chair"

*has his hands in his mouth constantly!  He has found his thumb a couple of times, but it is usually a fist or at least 2 fingers at a time.
*is still spitting up alot!  We call it "the fountain."  He eats and burps just fine....but then continues to spit up, like a little fountain, until the next time he eats.  He does create quite a bit of laundry!
*loves to be talked to and loves to talk back!  In order to have a conversation with Rhett, you must be making eye contact with him and smiling a lot.
*still loves to be held!  He is our little cuddle buddy!
*is so easy going!  He rarely fusses and just goes with the flow.
*loves his car seat and usually sleeps in the car.
*is ticklish!  We have found a tickle spot on his chubby legs that gets us several sweet giggles.

Rhys
*loves her Baby Einstein play mat.  She will squeal and smile at the blinking star that plays music.  We keep thinking she will get tired of this, but she acts like it is a new toy every day!

Playing together on the mat

*has also found her hands and loves to put them in her mouth.  She has found her thumb a couple of times but is not consistent with it yet.
*started using a pacifier.  Rhys was never interested in a pacifier but has started trying it out occasionally.  She usually wants it when she is tired or in the morning before breakfast.
*wants to talk to us so bad, but can't seem to get anything out!  She gives us plenty of sweet smiles though!
*LOVES the book Goodnight Moon.  She gets very focused on it and wiggles in excitement when she sees it. (being a teacher, of course, this melts my heart!)
*is very independent.  She loves to be with us, but doesn't always want to be held.  She is very content in her swing, bouncer, or just laying on a blanket with a toy.

Schedule:
Here is what we are doing right now.  I am pretty flexible (well, I try to be!) and the times are just approximate.  I am thinking that some of this may change during this new month.

7am - wake and nurse
7:30-8:30 - wake time (play on mats, bouncers, read books, etc.)
8:30-11  nap
11am - nurse
11:30-12:30 wake time (tummy time, mats, books, run errands)
12:30-2:00 nap
2 pm - nurse
2:30-3:45 wake time (tummy time, mats, books)
3:45-5:00 nap
5:00 - nurse
5:30-7:00 wake time (baths and books with daddy/mommy cooks dinner, swings while mommy & daddy eat)
7:00 pm - bottle and bed

Relaxing with daddy

Twin Tummy Time!

Happy 9th Anniversary to Us!

Nine years ago I woke up with butterflies in my stomach.

Nine years ago I put on a beautiful white dress.

Nine years ago my daddy held my hand and walked me down the aisle.

Nine years ago I stood before family and friends and made my promise to Tim.

Nine years ago I was in love with Timothy William Bennett.

And I still am.

Happy Anniversary, Tim!  I am so proud of you and so truly thankful that God blessed me with you.  I am amazed at your love and dedication to our family.  It is such an honor to be your wife.  Here's to 9 more wonderful years!

Looking Back...My Pregnancy

Since I am just now starting this blog, I want to go back and post on many things that I don't want to forget about.

One of those things....pregnancy.

I loved being pregnant.  LOVED.  I know many of you are thinking that I am exaggerating, or being sarcastic, but I'm not.  It was a time in my life that I truly enjoyed.

Since I had wanted to be pregnant for so long, I told myself that if I was ever given the opportunity to carry a child, that I would not complain about the things that go along with it.  I had heard horror stories from my friends (and from the internet) on morning sickness and other random yucky symptoms that happen when you are pregnant.  I kept waiting for those things to happen to me...but they never did!  I never once got sick.

Don't hate me.  I know some of you are sick all day, every day, etc.  I sympathize for you.

While I was not sick, I had other things going on.....

I was tired!  But who isn't, right?  I was also teaching kindergarten.  And every kindergarten teacher I know is tired after a day with 22 five year olds.

Another thing that I dealt with was extreme hunger!  I was so hungry!  All.  The.  Time.  I remember waking up at 2 a.m. and needing to eat, really eat.  I would be exhausted, but would make the trip downstairs to have a "snack" (which was really a full meal!)  Cereal was always good in the middle of the night, as well as cheese sticks, apples, and peanut butter.

I also kept snacks in my nightstand, in the bathroom, and in every other room of the house!  If you came to my house, you would likely find protein bars, a box of Cheez-Its, and bottles of water everywhere.

You might think that it was fun to get to/have to eat all the time, but it became a chore!  I felt like I couldn't stay full for more than an hour at a time, no matter how much I ate.  I really started focusing on my diet and increased my protein.  This helped some.

I did not have any food cravings or food aversions, really, but I ate a ton of those soft pretzels from the Target snack bar.....you know the ones I'm talking about?  The ones covered in butter and salt.  Mmmmm....

A few weeks into my pregnancy (after we knew we were having twins) my doctor wanted me to start gaining more weight.  I was eating 6-8 times a day, and wasn't really sure how I could gain more weight or eat any more than I already was.  My doctor suggested that I add a daily (BIG) bowl of ice cream to my diet.  I had never been a big ice cream fan, but I thought I would give it a try.  And Blue Bell became my best friend!  I think I gained half of my pregnancy weight from Cookies and Cream and Tin Roof ice cream.  :)

I could tell my stomach was growing around 8 weeks.  We decided to take pictures every week or two to document the change.  Here is the first picture I took to document the baby belly!

 8 weeks

9 weeks

11 weeks

12 weeks

14 weeks

 16 weeks

 18 weeks

 20 weeks

22 weeks

 24 weeks

 26 weeks

 28 weeks

 30 weeks

32 weeks

34 weeks

36 weeks

37.5 weeks (pic taken the morning the twins were born!)

 Looking through those pictures sure brings back a lot of memories!  Some of the other things I don't want to forget about being pregnant:

*My sweet mom and sister coming monthly to help clean and cook.....I am so thankful!

*Finding out we were having twins.  I was in shock for a couple of weeks!

*All the dr appointments!  I had to see my regular OB every other week and the Maternal Fetal Specialist every other week.....and then every week for most of the pregnancy.  Lots of dr appointments means lots of sonograms!  Yay!

*Reading about and praying for the development of our babies with Tim week by week

*Feeling the babies move for the first time

*When the babies would get the hiccups every evening around 10 pm from about 30 weeks and on

*Finding out that we were having a boy and a girl!  Tim was so nervous he was sweating!  I remember the sonogram tech told us immediately that one of the babies was a girl.  She couldn't get the other baby to move in order to find out the gender. After about 45 minutes, she told us we were also having a boy.  Tim was pacing in the dr office the whole time!

*Shopping for maternity clothes....I had a hard time finding clothes I liked and that fit.  I had the most luck at Gap and Old Navy.  Towards the end, I just wore Tim's t-shirts.

*Having my sweet kindergarten students ask me if the babies had been born yet...they asked every morning when I got to school!  I guess they didn't notice my BIG belly was still around!

*Letting Tim pick the date for our c-section...Our dr told us that we could choose any day between March 14-18.  I wanted the 14th, of course, but Tim chose the 17th.  He wanted this date because he was in the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M in Squadron 17.  And that is why we have St. Patty's Day babies!

*Coming home to the recliner and falling asleep....but then not being able to get out by myself!  Tim would have to help me up and would laugh and laugh.

I am truly lucky blessed.  There are so many things that can and do go wrong with pregnancies.  The doctors told us from the beginning that we were a high risk pregnancy.  They warned us of the many dangers we might face and told us to prepare to become the parents of preemies.  We were scared.  But we also knew that we were not in control.  We prayed, and took it one day at a time.

I feel like God taught me a lot during my pregnancy, and I feel that my marriage was strengthened.  It was an honor to carry Rhett and Rhys, and I am so thankful for this time in my life.