NICU Holiday Party!

It was time again for the NICU Holiday party. This is our very proud second year in a row and we look forward to it from the minute the invitation arrives. St. Lukes NICU is one of the very top care facilities for premature infants and we were sooooo blessed that Bodie and Annelise had all those loving and capable hands upon them in their first 16 days. Our story of twins born six weeks premature isn't uncommon but our experience there sure is. Not a day goes by when we aren't aware of how lucky we are and how amazing our stay was. Bodie and Annelise had the best care and every year we are fortunate to be able to go back and thank them in person. Of course, Santa Claus and all the other children are a lot of fun too!

Do not try this at home!

An amazing balancing act that defies the laws of gravity!

The high flying trapeze-ish stunt of a bundled up snow creature!

Sure, you think that they are only one year old and what could they do that is too dangerous??? Well, well, well, let me tell you that 99% of the time I have to save them from harms way or I would take more pictures of their action packed adventures. If you think balancing yourself upon a pink pony that plays music is easy then you simply have never tried it! Also, those swings on our front porch may look all calm and mellow but once you put those things in motion the babies will settle for nothing shy of going HUGE! What can we say? These babies like action!

BUNJEE!!!!!!

That's right! We were super lucky that my cousin Aaron came and stayed with us over the holiday and we always have so much with him. He really wanted to go bunjee jumping and sice we have some connections. . .don't ya just love to be able to say stuff like that?. . . .we hooked him up. . side down! We jumped from the Kings bridge in Glenns Ferry and had a great day. The babies were bewildered by what was going on but here are a couple pics for everyone!

Bates Holiday photo.

Everyone gathered around for a Bates family photo.

Turkey Day!

The Plaat kids. . .a.k.a the A-team! Alexandra, Andrea, Alyssa, and Austin.

Annelise really found her buddy in cousing Austin. He was sooooo good with the babies and Annelise knows a sweet boy when she sees him. She had a real soft spot for him all week.

Snacking on appetizers before dinner.

Must be a good topic of conversation going on.

A darling picture of our "Nanners" at the track!

On Thanksgiving itself we were doing our usual running around! We started at my brother Kurt and Angela's house. They deep fired their turkey and made quite the holiday spread! The babies were pretty fresh at this point and had a pretty good time checking out the gold fish pond and seeing Bella the bunny. Lots of family members to share stories and laughs with for sure. It's always nice to spend the holidays with my Dad as well. After early dinner we headed over to Nanny Bates' house were she outdid herself on the turkey dinner! She set a lovely table for everyone and it was nice to have all of Bodie's sisters and brother in one big space. The babies had to get to bed so we missed all the games but we hear it was a really fun time! Lastly, we did eat dinner over at my mother's house as well on Saturday and as you can see I never did gt any photos because at this time the babies were falling apart. It wasn't anything we really could have avoided. Chalk it up to a week of over-stimulation and by the sixth or seventh dinner for the week the babies were on full melt down mode. Bummer but she did make a great dinner as well and it was nice to hang out with all my family again.

Holiday pictures!

Shelley and Chris with three of their kids at Grandpa George and Grandma Linda's farm.

Annelise loving the baby kitty on the farm.

Getting ready for some back country trail blazing!

Andrea and Alyssa with Bodie at the Go-Cart track.

Bodie and cousin Chelsea!


Bodie's sisters were both here for Thanksgiving along with their family. We had a GREAT time with everyone and did everything from bowling to go-carts, visiting the farm and playing lots of fun games. We of course all ate our weight in food and I don't know if I ever care to see a turkey again but it was delicious while it lasted. Shelley and her husband Christopher also got the chance to visit Grandpa George and Grandma Linda's farm in Midvale Idaho. They had a great time on the four wheelers and checking out the wide open spaces. We feel so blessed that they have the farm because both Bodie and I feel that the kids will really benefit from the life style out there. Caring about animals and the land, spending time with your loved ones with no city hustle, and the simplicity we both grew up with means a lot to us both. It was a great way to start the week!

It's a twin team effort!

Must need a little break before the next round!

"I've got your back. . . and your Blankie Bodie!"

"Let me get the heavy lifting Annelise while you carry the balloons!"

The twins are witty as ever lately! They have really began to appreciate the companionship of the opposite twin as well. They find each other very useful when one of them needs a hug, someone to babble with who understands, someone to hit, and most recently when two arms just don't seem to be enough. They recently had two blankets and two ballons out and were trading jobs as they carried things from one end of the house to the other. They would stop, switch, and yell as if to say "Look what we can do!!!!" It was so fun to see them understand the concept of helping eaching other to get what they want and hopefully it will only continue to get better!