VBS is a fun and affordable camp run by various churches during the summer months. Each camp has it’s own theme and you do not have to be a member of the church to attend their camp. A week of VBS usually includes water sports, team sports, games, snacks, crafts, skits, songs and Bible lessons.

Check back often, because I will update this page as soon as I get more info. Sign up for VBS quickly, because many do fill up fast.

You may remember my blog post, Catastrophe Before and After Ragnar, which talked about our (scary) ectopic pregnancy in February 2015.

It’s been a long, emotional road, trying to get pregnant again, but in April 2016, we were blessed with another pregnancy, and this one stuck in the right place!

This pregnancy has carried a multitude of emotions as well, through genetic testing, finding a bright spot on baby’s heart, spending a night in the hospital for bleeding at 28 weeks, and having placenta previa, but with faith in God, I know He’s got this, and it’s really kept my stress and worry at bay.

Placenta previa is a pregnancy complication in which the placenta, that typically is attached to the upper part of the uterus, instead, lies low, partially or completely blocking the cervix. As the uterus grows, the placenta usually will move up on it’s own, but in 10% of cases, the previa will persist later into pregnancy.

If the placenta remains close to the cervix as our due date grows closer, which happens in 1 in 200 pregnancies, we are at high risk for hemorrhaging and an early C-section will be required.

We have an ultrasound on Thursday, to check my placenta again. I will be 34 weeks 5 days. If the placenta is still close to, or covering the cervix, Brady’s birthday will be November 23 (36 weeks 4 days), which is the day before Thanksgiving!

Whenever Brady makes his debut, we will be ready. The girls are so in love with him already and he is going to have the best big sisters.

My husband and mother-in-law finished the final touches on the nursery last week, and it is perfect! I love the nautical theme!

It’s been a long journey getting to this point, but I feel incredibly blessed for this little boy to join our family. God is good.

This salon was designed with kids in mind. Every station has a TV, and your child gets to pick their favorite movie. We picked Strawberry Shortcake. There are televisions, video games, a train table, and toys to keep the kids busy while they wait. For the younger ones, you can get your hair cut in a racing car chair. My girls, however, were very happy to be in the princess and fairy station.

Today, we went with the Cool Cut Supreme which included a shampoo, hair cut, and blow dry. Our stylist was Carla, and she was awesome. I would definitely recommend her!

Cool Cuts 4 Kids understands that you want to save these sweet memories and all the important “firsts” in your child’s life, including your child’s first hair cut! We received a certificate commemorating the occasion, and they gave us their first lock of hair, to add to their baby books! (I’m glad we finally got the first lock of hair before they hit kindergarten…)

I’m really glad we found Cool Cuts 4 Kids and will definitely be returning in the future!

Thanks to Carla, for a wonderful first haircut experience!

Four years have flown by in the blink of an eye, and today, the girls had their annual well visit check-up. My mind was blown when I realized their next check-up will be their kindergarten physical. How is this even possible? Please stop growing, now.

When our names were called, the girls lined up (thank you, preschool), and followed their nurse through the door and to the nurse’s station. According to our physical, Katelyn measured 41″ and Chelsea measured 40.5″, but I’m pretty sure Katelyn may have snuck up on some tippy toes for that measurement. She was probably practicing for future Knott’s Berry Farm visits (sierra sidewinder, here we come)!

Blood Pressure….Check
Hearing Test….Check

Vision Test….Check

The appointment ended with the girls’ final immunizations (aside from the flu shot) needed until they enter 7th grade (woohoo)! They were so big and brave, they didn’t even cry. Instead, they looked at the nurse with puppy dog eyes and calmly said “Ouch. That hurt.”

The nurse gave them each a new book and a high five and all was right again! Chelsea even asked me if we could go to the dentist next. Who are these kids?

One great check-up. Two healthy kids…. who must have two amazing parents. Cheers!

Racing continues. As soon as I got the clearance to run, once my ectopic pregnancy had finally terminated, I hit the ground running…

Coaster Run 5K at Knott’s Berry Farm on March 8th

Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation 10K on March 29 (Go Team Brody – Reaching For A Cure 2014)

Ragnar So Cal – April 10-11 – Team Name: Great Bowels of Fire (1st Place in our Division)

Tinker Bell Half Marathon at Disneyland on May 10. (Finish in 1:58:42)

On May 3, my friend, Stacy, and I were baptized at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, and our amazing group of friends were there to support us. We were also photo bombed by Pastor Rick Warren himself!

I celebrated a wonderful Mother’s Day with my beautiful family.

We went on a 4-day Carnival Cruise with our good friends and our girls’ bff’s! Together, our two families had 5 girls within 14 months of each other! We had a blast!

At the end of May, my brother and I were able to pull off the surprise of the century, and surprise my dad for his 60th birthday! He had no idea we were coming (I live in California, brother in North Carolina and dad (and sister) are in Maine).

I also got to visit my mom and some of her family in Maine. It was an amazing trip!

I surprised Trent with a “day date” on June 12, our 6 year wedding anniversary, and we played Foot Golf! Possibly, a new favorite sport!  

Katelyn and Chelsea turned 4 in June and we celebrated their birthday, with good friends, at Pump It Up!

The family celebrated Father’s Day one week early, and headed to Angels Stadium for our first family game of the season! Katelyn says “Mike Trout is the best baseball player ever.” I have to agree!

The girls completed their last day of preschool and officially start pre-k this fall! They are growing up way too fast!

At the end of June, we traveled to Pismo Beach to visit Trent’s family. It was great to see everyone in one place!

This summer, we’ve spent a lot of time in the pool and the girls have come so far with their swim lessons! I am so proud of them!

It’s been a busy 4 months, so this update seems action packed! I still can’t believe the girls are four. They make us laugh every day and our family is truly blessed. I promise our next update will not be 4 months away, so stay tuned!

I arrived in Florida a few days early, so I could get in some quality time with my mom. As always, we had a blast together, cruising around in the golf cart, causing our usual ruckus around the town.

I was having really weird symptoms, that week, extreme exhaustion, slight nausea, cramps and spotting, so to clear my mind, I decided it would be best to take a pregnancy test.

Pregnant.

I thought that was impossible, since I had just finished my period (or so I thought), but at that point, it didn’t matter, tears filled up my eyes, as I cried with joy and called my husband to share the exciting news. We were going to have another baby. I was literally over-joyed.

I headed to South Florida to meet up with some girls from my Ragnar team, the night before the race. I knew something did not feel right. I knew something was wrong and emotionally, I broke down. At 6 p.m., three of my amazing, supportive team mates and close friends, took me to the University of Miami hospital. After four long hours, the doctors had confirmed, my HCG numbers were extremely low and I was going to have a miscarriage.

Devastated, and in tears, the excitement of a baby has now turned to grief, but as the captain of our Ragnar team, I wasn’t going to let my team down. We had a 200-mile race ahead of us and I was not going to walk away from my team.

The next morning we met up with the rest of our team, to begin one of the greatest races of my life, Ragnar Relay: Florida Keys.

A Ragnar is an overnight relay race, or a slumber party, without sleep, pillows, or deodorant. It is a 200-mile relay race from Miami to Key West. You have 12 runners, 6 people in 2 vans, and together, you run to the ultimate finish line in Key West! Each runner runs 3 legs, ranging from 2-12 miles, and we leap frog our way to the finish.

Together, we crossed the finish line in 31.5 hours (overall , 9:38 pace) ran on little to no sleep, took zero showers, used more porta-pottys then I ever want to remember, and laughed so hard at way too many TMI stories. Some people (okay, just me) slept in the cargo area of the van with a bag of bananas as a pillow. I did not realize it was a bag of bananas until I found them a copule hours later! Sorry, to whoever bought the bananas!

We even labeled our van, #BAM (bad ass mothers), because we were all moms, taking a little time for ourselves, and it was awesome. It was a blast, and for me, the best way to keep my mind occupied, which was very much needed.

We finished the race in Key West around 7 p.m. the next day, and spent 2 days enjoying Key West.

After the race, I headed back to California and decided to have a follow up visit with my own doctor. I told her about the miscarriage and that my HCG levels were extremely low. She told me she wanted to do a blood test again, just to be sure. Much to my surprise, my HCG levels had almost doubled over the last week, which is not the way a miscarriage is supposed to go.

After multiple blood draws, watching the HCG levels steadily rise, hospital visits, and ultrasounds, the doctors told me, I was not having a miscarriage. I had an ectopic pregnancy. The egg implanted in the left fallopian tube instead of the uterus. They told me, I was at risk for the fallopian tube rupturing, which was ultimately, life-threatening to me.

I was forced to choose between methotrexate, a chemotherapy injection, or surgery, where they would remove the egg, but also may end up removing the fallopian tube. The risk with the chemo drug is, it does not work. The waiting period to find out if it was working would be one week, and that’s one week that I am at risk for rupture. Most ruptures happen within the first trimester and I would’ve been about 6-7 weeks pregnant. There was an 80-90% chance the chemo drug would work after the first round of injections which seemed positive.

I had doctors with conflicting opinions on what steps to take next. I was actually being prepped for surgery when my Ob/Gyn rushed in and told me the risks were too high, and she did not think surgery was the right answer.

Ultimately, we ended up trying the methotrexate, which was one chemo injection in each thigh. It was a little alarming that the nurse had to wear what looked like a hazmat suit to administer the injections, and that was, by far, the biggest needle, I had ever seen!

My doctors were confident that after one week, my HCG levels would drop significantly. The week dragged on and I finally went in for another blood draw. My levels dropped very slightly, but the drug had not worked the way it was supposed to, leaving my doctors shocked that the treatment was unsuccessful.

After discussion with my doctors, we decided to dodge surgery once again and opted to try another injection of the chemo drug, then wait, yet another week. The week of waiting dragged on, and we knew, waiting, meant I was still at risk for a tubal rupture, which could mean life or death.

On March 1^st, after two rounds of chemo and two weeks of waiting, we finally got the results we wanted.  My HCG levels had dropped dramatically. They told me, to get my blood checked again in the infamous “one more week,” and the HCG levels should be negative, meaning the ectopic pregnancy was finally over.

That final week of waiting, ended on Sunday, March 8^th! The chemo drug worked! The pregnancy was over. The emotional roller coaster (pregnant-excited, miscarriage-grieving, ectopic-nerve-wracking) was over. It was time to breathe, time to re-focus on my life and heal emotionally.

When the doctors initially suspected the ectopic, I was immediately banned from running and from any physical activity. When I finally got the ok, to resume normal activity, I completed my first race on Sunday, March 8^th, the Coaster Run 5K at Knotts Berry Farm.

I went to bed the night before the race with a fever and barely slept because I was so congested, but nothing was going to stop me from running that day. I had been through the ringer this past month, and I was coming out on the other side, with my feet hitting the pavement! I finished 7th out of 253 in my age division and 126 out of 2856 overall.

I’m incredibly thankful for my super awesome, #BAM friend who picked me up and then ran the Coaster Run 10K that day. She was with me at the hospital in Miami, ran with me from Miami to the Keys, took me for my final blood draw, and has been an amazing support every step of this emotionally draining process.

Sunday, was a great day.

I’m going to continue to keep my head high, stay positive and look toward the brighter days. Ragnar So Cal is on the horizon in April, and I can promise you an “epic” blog post to come, this time, exclusively about the race!

In June 2014, we celebrated our five year wedding anniversary. Since we had just moved into our new home, the month prior, we decided we would delay the celebration until the end of the year!

Ava & Grampy were incredibly gracious and kind and offered to watch the girls while we were gone. Trent and I spent eight beautiful days on Big Island, Hawaii, staying at Hilton Waikoloa Village, the same place we went for our honeymoon in June 2009.

There were so many incredible moments, so I’ll leave you with the top highlights!

When we arrived in Kona, on Sunday, December 14th, we picked up our luggage and headed to the car rental counter. The line was literally out the door and not everyone looked overly enthusiastic, but we were ecstatic. No worries. We are in Hawaii to celebrate! Our energetic personalities must’ve shined through, because we were upgraded from a Volkswagon Jetta to a Chevy Camaro. That’s not a bad way to start to the vay-cay!

On Tuesday, we hiked down Pololu Valley which was just gorgeous.

And on the way back home, we stopped by Kapa’a Beach on the northwestern shore to see the rocky coast.

Last time we were in Hawaii, we went to a luau, and had a lot of fun, so on this trip, we wanted to switch it up and visit the cowboys at Kahua Ranch! So on Wednesday, we enjoyed a sunset BBQ dinner, Trent learned how to lasso, we branded our own shingle, did a little line dancing (ok, it was more like the electric slide), hung out with a ridiculously giant pig, roasted some s’mores, and met some really cool cowboys!

The next day, will go in the books as one of the most incredible days of my life. It started off with a visit to Rainbow Falls, where we found ourselves literally standing underneath a rainbow. I’ve never seen anything like it. So beautiful. It was the first time I had ever seen both ends of the rainbow.

Next, we headed to Hilo Airport so we could take a doors-off, (feel the heat) helicopter tour over the active Volcano! One of the “hottest” experiences I’ve ever had!

Today, was going to be the same day that we drove around the entire island. Next stop, visiting the Volcano National Park! When we first arrived, we had lunch at the Volcano House, overlooking the crater. I had no idea, we would be so close! The view was incredible! Then we explored the national park, checked out the vents, and later learned that one side of the national park was a dessert and active volcano, and after walking through the lava tube, we ended up in a lush, tropical rainforest. Who knew?

As we continued our journey around the Big Island, we had to stop at Punalu”u Black Sand Beach!. The beach has black sand made of basalt which was created by lava flowing into the ocean. We also found a large group of sea turtles basking in the sun!

Timing could not have been more perfect in our trip around the island, because we happened to be driving by South Point, the southernmost part of the United States, right before sunset. We could not pass up that opportunity to stop and enjoy the view. It is extremely windy on this part of the island, as you can tell from the picture of the tree! I’m thankful I was not blown into the ocean, but the photo op was worth the risk!

The perfect day wasn’t quite over, just yet. We went to Rainbow Falls, flew in a helicopter over the volcano, had lunch at the Volcano House with an amazing view of the crater, explored Volcano National Park, the lava tubes, the rainforest, drove to Black Sand Beach, caught an amazing sunset at South Point, but we still had one more stop before the night was over, Kona Brewery!

The next day, was definitely a relax at the hotel, bask in the sun, play some glow golf, kind of day!

Relaxation. Check. Time to get back on the adventure saddle. What better way then to saddle up on a horse and explore the Waipi’o Valley!

Eight days was a long time to be away from the girls, and I admit, by day 7, I was looking into flights to come back early, but in the end, I would not have changed a thing. Trent and I had the most amazing vacation and I feel so fortunate to have spent a week in paradise with my best friend! We have been married for 5.5 years and everyday I love him more and more!

It was great to have the time alone, and I think it’s so important for moms and dads to get their together time, even if it’s just one date night a month. We are stronger today then we have ever been and for that, I am so grateful!

On November 1^st, I created our third annual family thankful tree. Everyone was assigned a colored leaf and each day, we all put one leaf on the tree, to share what we were thankful for. On Thanksgiving, we had a beautiful tree, full of thanks.

As usual in our household, our Christmas tree went up the weekend before Thanksgiving. Typically, we put it up early, so we can enjoy it longer, since we usually travel up to two weeks over the holidays.

I found a wonderful advent calendar from Target, that would keep my creativity flowing throughout the holidays. Each day, the girls flip over an ornament on the advent tree, and we do whatever is on the back.

Just one week into December and we have already created a paper garland, decorated a Christmas tree, put up our felt Christmas tree, made ornaments for the tree, looked at Christmas lights, taken a picture with Santa, and created gingerbread houses and Christmas cookies!

We also have had fun with Elfie, our Elf on the Shelf. Every morning, Elfie flies to a new spot and the girls have a lot of fun trying to find her!

Over the past two years, the Christmas felt tree has been a hit in our household. The girls love to decorate and re-decorate the tree, again and again.

This year, I was excited to find a felt nativity scene, to put on the wall, and even more thrilled to watch the girls take turns, telling each other the true meaning of Christmas.

Every day, offers a little something exciting in the countdown for Christmas. Each day, we find Elfie, take a paper ring off of the Christmas garland, and flip over an ornament on our advent calendar, to see what special event we get to do that day!

We love the holidays and look forward to these new traditions and finding even more, for years to come!

Happy Holidays! Get crafty!

You always hear the phrase, “Cherish every moment,” or “They grow up too fast,” but living hundreds or thousands of miles away from family, I rarely had any help, so I always thought, if they get older, it must get easier, or at least I hoped.

Now that they are almost 3.5, I finally look back at the days where they were babies, and I miss the sweet stages of those cute little diapered butts. The times when you could set them on the couch and know, they were not moving anywhere. The times that naps were still present and no one screamed back or tried to be defiant. No one fought or pulled any hair. There were no tantrums on aisle 3 and crying was typically silenced with a bottle, binky, or diaper change.

Raising twins is hard, especially with no family close by. My hat goes off to all of the amazing women who do it every day. I have never had more struggles or challenges, or been pushed to my limits, more than I have since becoming a mom. On the flip side, I have also never experienced more joy, more love, or more fulfillment, then I have as a mother to those girls.

Today, my “next big thing” was bunk beds. Was it too early? Probably. But, the toddler beds seemed to be getting smaller and bunk beds seemed to be a logical solution for two girls who shared a small bedroom. So, today, while the girls were at preschool, the magic happened.

We said goodbye to the toddler beds.

Daddy built the bunk beds while the girls were at preschool.

They were pretty excited to find the beds when they came home!

Daddy gave them the safety talk.

….And the new beds were awesome!

Story-time before bed was extra special.

Night one is almost in the books for our transition to bunk beds. Once they finally settled down from the excitement, they were fast asleep. As of right now, Chelsea took the top bunk and Katelyn was content with the bottom. I’m sure this will change down the road, but I’m happy that there was no fighting about who was going to sleep on the top bunk.

It’s bitter-sweet to see the girls in bunk beds, because they still look so little, and of course in my eyes, they are always going to be my babies, but they love it!

For now, I need to remember to stop rushing them to grow up and enjoy the moment. As hard as some moments may be, I know, I will miss these days, just as much I miss them being little babies.

Cherish every moment. They grow up too fast. It’s finally starting to hit home.

Twelve months ago, I was not a runner, not even close! In fact, I hated thinking about running. I loved to sprint, fast, but for 100, 200 yards, maybe. I loved to run around the bases in a softball game or do sprints for a warm-up. Anything beyond that, was just not for me.

One year ago, today, I completed my first “official” run, by joining an 8-week run club. That night, I ran 1 mile around the track. Little did I know, that mile, would be the start to an amazing, positive, change in my life.

I never thought I would ever complete a half marathon. I had no endurance and honestly, no desire to even try. I had myself convinced, that I was a sprinter, therefore, I could not run long distance, but last October, my mentality changed.

I set a New Year’s resolution, for 2013, that I was going to be Fit for 30. It was the year, I turned the big 3-0, and I worked hard, to get in the best shape of my life. I felt that I completed my goal when my 30th birthday arrived last October, but something was still missing. I got in shape, but I still couldn’t run. I was finally ready to stop saying, “I can’t,” and start believing in myself.

It was never easy. I made mistakes. I learned from them. I sustained injuries. I set my alarm for 5 a.m. runs. I had runs that were good and runs that brought me to tears. Most importantly, no matter what, I never quit.

I’ve learned a lot of things about myself since I started running (13.1 Milestone: Lessons Learned), but I think one of the most important ones is to have a positive attitude, not just in running, but in life. I had convinced myself that I was not good enough to run long distance and that I would never have the endurance to run a half marathon. The reality was, I just never had the desire or the patience to prove myself wrong.

I learned how powerful your mind really is and how much control your mind and your attitude have over your body. If I hit the road with a negative attitude, my run is horrible, every time.

I learned that 90% of your race, is your mental state that day. Of course, training is important, and your body needs to be properly trained, fueled, and hydrated to go the distance, but it’s just as important to train your mind, along with your body. When your body runs out of steam, your mind needs to tell your legs to keep moving.

If you told me one year ago, I would run a half marathon, I would have laughed out loud and told you, you were crazy, because I can’t run.

In the past 12 months, I have completed 2 5K’s, 4 10K’s, 1 sprint triathlon, and 2 half marathons, and I will be running my 3rd half marathon on October 26th.

5K
11/9/13 – Big A 5K 24:56 / 8:02
2/9/14 – iTRTathlon 5K 24:57 / 8:03

10K
11/28/13 – Plymouth Rock N Run 10K – 54:49 / 8:50
12/14/13 – Troutman Sanders Santa Run 10K – 53:54 / 8:42
3/2/14 – Coaster Run 10K – 49:23 / 7:58
3/30/14 – PCRF Reaching For the Cure 10K 49:20 / 7:58

Sprint Triathlon
2/22/14 – Race on the Base – 5K 24:40 / 7:57, Bike 13.1 mi 48:17, Swim 5:41

Half Marathon
5/26/14 – Laguna Hills Memorial Day Half Marathon – 2:03:23 / 9:25
8/31/14 – Disneyland Half Marathon – 1:56:37 / 8:54

It is almost overwhelming to look back at the last year and see, not just the accomplishments, but to see how much running has changed me as a person. I really believe it has given me a new outlook on life.

Running was something that once scared me, because I was so intimidated by it, but now running is a part of who I am.

I started my own Facebook page, Mission TwinPossible: The Twin Mama’s Journey, and I have learned that anything is possible with the right attitude, hard work, and dedication.