9 Month Pumpkins

Benjamin and Nathan are 9 months old... where did the time go?  The boys are growing and changing by leaps and bounds.  Fall has been a very fun time.  We made trips to the pumpkin patch, Ben got teeth, we had our 9 month check ups, both boys got flu shots, puree foods are now old news and finger foods are the BEST, rolling, kneeling and pulling up happens daily/minutely!  Last weekend Brent was able to spend the weekend in St. Louis with his two best friends.... that meant I spent the weekend as a single mom... thanks to those that helped out (grandparents, Katie and Grace)!  All went well!
Thanks for checking in on us!!!
Love Always,
The Utechs

Nathan working on his crawling

Nathan 9 Month Photo

Uncle Stephen and Auntie Christine's Pumpkin to the boys... 2 little Monkeys 

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Benjamin and Berkeley hanging out

Cute little pumpkin heads!

Mommy and Benjamin!

End of September

Apple Orchard

Big Truck Day

Nathan and Benjamin are now 8 1/2 months old!!!  They are growing like weeds... I felt like we were in 3 month clothing forever and now the 6month stuff that I was hoping would last us well into winter... already has toes to the end!  It must be all that good food they eat:)   So far they have eaten... peas, beans, broccoli, spinach, sweet potatoes, leeks, carrots, corn, squash, banana, apple, pear, peach, pineapple, mango and blueberry... we LOVE the farmers market... I'm not sure what I'm going to do when they close for the winter!  They have also discovered finger food, cheerios, Mum-mum crackers, Gerber Graduates, chunks of pumpkin bagel and slices of apple.   They both are obsessed with watching Brent and I eat and also sitting in high chairs at the table like the big people.

Pine Tree Apple Orchard

First Day of school

The boys started ECFE, "School" and have been to 3 classes.  They love to watch the other kids and like to pull toys away from each other, sing new songs, explore the new toys and they for sure love their new 9 month old twin friends...Ben and Norah!  More importantly mommy likes having time with all the other moms!  Over the last couple of weeks we made a trip to the Pine Tree Apple orchard, went to Wyatt's 1st Birthday party, went to "Big Truck Day" at the library, met a new puppy named Callie, visited Hunkle Adam at college, climbed the rocks at Gooseberry Falls and met some of Daddy's cousins from Arizona.   It has been a very busy couple of weeks....

Wombmates shirts!

Visiting Hunkle Adam at college

Nathan and Benjamin continue to challenge us everyday (and night), but they make us smile, laugh and as always remind us how lucky we are and how enriched our lives have become:)
Love Always,
The Utechs
I will post more Sept and Oct photos on Shutterfly at some point today!

Gooseberry Falls

10 Minutes of my life

This afternoon I decided to photograph all the places and things that my children could get to and into in 10 minutes!!!  I know that they look innocent...
Here is a photo tutorial

Rolled off the blanket that I had him sitting on and was now across the room.

The next stop on his adventure was playing with the bouncy seat... attempting to put it in his mouth.

He decided that he was hungry... however we never finish a whole bottle anymore... there is always something more interesting.

as you can see he was bored with his bottle and on to the post it notes and dog toy :)

In the mean time Benjamin woke up from his nap  and I placed him... sitting up with his toys... this is how I found him and Berkeley (literally 10 seconds later).  And finally... I turned around to find Nathan....

There he is playing with a diaper and chewing on the tubing from my pump...NICE!!!  If they can move this much rolling and crawling backwards... only imagine what they will be capable of when they figure out 4 wheel drive!  And once again... anyone still interested in babysitting PLEASE let me know!


Love Always
The Utechs
PS  Happy 3rd Anniversary to my wonderful husband!

Fall Begins

Life continues to fly right on by!  We have had a busy couple of weeks including a trip to the state fair, a trip to Walker, a trip to the MN zoo, ECFE orientation and daddy started grad school classes again.  The boys loved the fair...we were there 6 hours, Benjamin petted a horse, Nathan tried to eat cheese curds and mommy ate LOTS of food!  We spent the last weekend at the Utech's up in Walker.  We spent lots of time with Grandma and Grandpa and we went to the boys' first parade...at Ethnic Fest!  We also did some shopping at Albertville... the boys got some new fall clothes and their first pair of shoes... too cute!!!  We also spent a day at the MN zoo with our buddy Wyatt... the boys still love the BIG fish tank!  Both the boys and daddy are starting school.  Brent continues on with his masters and tomorrow the boys will start "school"  ECFE Infant class...AKA a class for moms:)  The boys are eating up a storm, trying new foods and trying to figure out sippy cups!  We jump, roll, smile, laugh, chew and drool...8 months is the best!

Love Always
The Utechs
PS I added photos to the shutterfly site!

Where oh Where has summer gone?

I find it hard to believe that it is State Fair time already... the days, weeks and months have flown by.  The boys continue to grow each day... they learn something new constantly!!!  Big news at our house is that Nathan has two teeth!!!  Ben is working on his... he chews/drools on everyone and everything he can get his hands on.  The boys are trying new foods... 2-3 per week... so far we have done carrots, butternut squash, broccoli & peas and most recently avocado.  They have loved everything except for the avocado... we will keep working on it.  Other adventures this month have included, Auntie Christine's going away party, dinner at Bucca with the Williams, BBQs, a trip to daddy's work to see the 3M NASCAR,  helping daddy with the new countertops, and most importantly helping Daddy welcome the start to the 2010 Football Season.  The boys are now expert rollers (we found nathan under the swing...see photo), expert sitters and expert eaters, Nathan has started to figure out how to get on all 4's (we are going to be in trouble soon...very soon!), both boys now have preferences over which toys they want to play with, when they want to change activities and what blankets and stuffed animals they cuddle with.  I personally am loving the stage we are at... sit play with toys, smile, rollover!  Life will change when the boys can move!!

Love Always,
The Utech's

A few more FIRSTS!!!

Summer!  I LOVE IT!  For those of you that continue to be a part of our every day life... thank you!!! Life with TWINS is always interesting... at the moment you think you have it figured out, it changes... just when you think that sleep is within your reach, it isn't... Just when you think you are finally caught up, you think of 12 more thing...oh and then I'm sure it is time to pump!  I'm less productive, less organized (somewhat due to the 5 interrupted hours of sleep I have gotten each night for the last 6 months)... I forget birthdays, miss appointments, am slow to return calls and emails, spend 1/2 as much time with my friends, family and husband.. my house has finger/nose prints on the window, baby bottles in the sink, unmade beds, laundry, and I'm sure my floors are due for a date with the Dyson vacuum!  As many parents would attest to at some point all of that becomes "the small stuff" and you realize that while life feels out of control and crazy some how the most important things have become the short little bald men in my life... and it all seems worth it!
I finally caved and the boys tasted their first rice cereal!  They both love it... they take turns eating it well though, Nathan seems to have Mon, Wed, Fri and Ben seems to have taken the opposite!:)  We also made our first voyage to Walker and Steamboat LAke.  We were able to bring the boys on a pontoon ride, put their toes in the lake, walk with Grandma at Relay for Life, visit the headwaters on the Mississippi, go fishing with Grumpy, play in the crab pool, swing from the swing that Grandpa hung, have a bonfire and most importantly spend time with both sets of Grandparents.  We had a wonderful 5 days!!!  The boys also spent their first night at home alone with just daddy!  Brent and I also spent our first night away from the boys for a wedding... Congrats Katie and Brian Leonard!  Both boys now put their toes in their mouths, sit and play with toys and are rolling over... all the time!!!  My favorite are the belly laughs that are often heard from one boy or another!  When we get frustrated, tired, stressed and are pushed to our limits we try and remind each other that we are lucky, that this too shall pass and that some day (not to far in the future) we will look back at these times and think... "man, remember when the boys couldn't move... life sure was easier then."
Love Always.
The Utechs
I will work on getting the next round of photos on Shutterfly sometime this week!!!

6 Months Old

Happy 1/2 Birthday to Nathan and Benjamin.  Can't believe how life has changed in 6 Short months.  The boys had their 6 Month appointments today.  Nathan weighs just over 13 pounds and Benjamin weighs 12 pounds.  Both boys are now 3%... but they are now on the BIG BOY CHARTS...instead of the premie charts!!!  Keep drinking that "milkies" boys!!! Other big news this week... Benjamin rolled from his tummy to his back and then over again to his tummy, Nathan has been spotted chewing on his toes, Ben has been spotted touching his toes, EVERYTHING goes in both mouths, Benjamin and Nathan have conversations with each other, they LOVE to play with the activity bars on the car seats and they both got to check out their high chairs for the first time!  Mommy is still not sure she wants to start rice cereal...maybe in August... I did however let N & B play in the 6 month cupcakes....gotta love the sugar!!! For their 6 month birthday we had a birthday party complete with party hats, high chairs, cupcakes and gifts. We gave the boys all the things that they will need for the next 6 months of this 1st year of life... bowls, spoons, rice cereal, baby food purees and a few new toys.  Benjamin and Nathan loved the whole deal... see the photos.  All is well, life is good and we are enjoying summer!  Cheers to the next 6 months!
Check out shutterfly for more photos
Love always,
The Utechs