May 26

It was a big day. We started the day off with Charlie's preschool year-end program. It was adorable. Miss Mischa, Miss Karyn, and Miss Mindy have all made this year unforgettable. It brought tears to my eyes as well as Andy's-yup, we're suckers. It's weird that he's actually growing up. It's happy and sad all in one. Charlie later said, "Mom-you cry at my program? The songs make you cry?" Yes, the songs were the tear jerkers. We then talked about how not all crying is sad...

Also in big Nelson events, Ruby and Maggie turned ONE today!! It's taken me one year-yes one year, to develop the disposable camera that the hospital gave me when the girls were born. These were the pictures I found...

the girls after being intubated, then ready for life flight

It still seems like a different life time and brings tears to my eyes. I started to read back at my posts of their birth and it still makes me weep. I still remember watching their chests collapse each time they struggled to take a breath, how their arms were as small as my dad's pointer finger (a week later when he got back from being out of town), how our dear friend came to the hospital at 10 pm to help Andy give the girls a priesthood blessing, how we couldn't hold them for three days, how Andy's parents took Charlie for the week-I still can't thank them enough, and how my mom made countless trips to the hospital with us, somehow keeping us sane while my dad was gone. It was a time of trial and prayer and hardship. But it taught us strength and courage and to rely on the Lord and each other to feel comfort.
And here we are-one year later. It's certainly been a year of ups and downs, but we have loved these two so much and are so grateful that they were brought into our family. A little about us...

MAGGIE GRACE

Maggie started out as our goofball. She had a firecracker personality from the beginning and kept trying to hedge out Ruby as the first to be born-even though she did end up coming after her. She had the less developed lungs and consequently has been the baby hospitalized twice this winter season. She's a fighter. She's strong and opinionated and knows what she wants. She's passionate about life even at one. She loves to smile and laugh and touch faces. She especially loves to snuggle with mommy and daddy and has a special bond with her Grandma Richter.

RUBY SCOUT

Ruby began as a kicker. Which is how we decided on Ruby as her name. We thought she'd have a ruby red personality-a firecracker. She, however, surprised us. Ruby likes peace. She doesn't like contention (not like there's ever any in our home) or loud talking. She likes to be held and be close. She is a snuggler. It took Ruby longer to come out of her shell and show her true colors, but she is now showing us her opinions and lets her mind be known. She loves to laugh and be silly and has turned into a mimicker. She likes to shake her head back and forth and have you join in this game.

Both girls are now saying 'Mama' and 'Dada'-ruby says 'CuhCuh' and 'Uh-uh-uh', and Mags says 'Ba-ba.' They started really crawling on hands and knees about one month ago and just in the last week can get to sitting on bums from crawling. Also in the last week they started holding their own bottles! Blessed Day! They now hate going to bed at night, so they crawl to the sides of their cribs that touch each others' to talk and reach their arms through so that they can touch each other, where they also end up falling asleep. They steal each others toys and cry together, and love getting all tangled up in each others legs. They are already the best of friends.

Thank you to EVERYONE for the love and support over the last year. We could not have embarked on this journey without help. Twins are a crazy curveball, but we wouldn't have it any other way!