Before and After

Parker

Noah

They are missing something!  What could it be?

What do you think?

Playing

Just playing around with some new toys I have!

What a handsome subject!

Parker

The trouble with teeth....

Is that this one has trouble loosing them!

They wiggle and waggle and get loosey goosey.

But they don't. fall. out.

Of course, she doesn't actually try to get them out either!

So, she hasn't' actually lost that many teeth yet. 

As a matter of fact,

 some of her permanent teeth

 simply gave up on her ever pulling the baby teeth,

 and grew in behind them! 

Now she has two rows of teeth....kinda like a shark....only different

'CAUSE IT'S MY DAUGHTER!

I beg!  I plead!

 I'm ashamed to admit it....okay, I'm not really,

 but I should be, because I've even been known to offer a bribe, y'all!

She won't bite pull!

Daddy decided to take matters into his own hands.

Oh yes he did!

Much to someone's dismay.

And that produced much drama.

Weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. 

Is that a tear I see?  No?

A dangling tooth really must come out!

And, it did!

Two days later, she lost the baby tooth to right of that big ole front tooth.

 Sucked it right out of her head while doing her Math!

See, math is dangerous!

The other trouble with teeth....

Is that if you are related to me in any way.....

 
You are going to need braces!

Guess what that means?

Yep.  Twin boys that look like their Mama = two in braces this year!

We had some impressions taken a few days ago. 

You know, so we could see the damage up close.

Because that is what every Mama wants, right?

To see what their gene pool has caused!

Pray for us y'all!

Isabel has two more loose teeth.

Plus also, I had the fabulous luck to come across a joke site that had this for the title of a joke list:

Top 10 Things To Do While Having Your Braces Tightened

 And, now I'm worried!

Blink

November 13, 1996

A dream come true

Parker Norman Gour is born at 5:33pm

He weighs 6 lbs 1 oz

perfect and healthy

Paul Noah Gour is born at 5:48pm

He weighs 5lbs 9oz

perfect and healthy

Blink

Blink



Blink

Blink

Blink

Blink

Blink


Blink

Blink

Blink

It seems like they were born just yesterday, and then,

Blink

It's their 13th birthday and my babies are young men!

Okay, maybe it's possible it didn't happen that fast. It sure didn't seem to go by fast when we were changing double diapers and giving double bottles....and listening to double screams until 2:00 in the morning. When we would just put them in the car and drive around until they fell asleep! But, everyday it seems to go by faster and faster.

I can't seem to slow it down.

So, we enjoy every minute that we have.
It's hard to believe that they could actually be leaving our house in 5-7 years!

This is what 13 year olds look like. Get a good look Significant Source. This will happen to you too! And, I am aware that they look suspiciously like 12 year old boys....but, no! They are definitely not 12. They are 13. There is a huge difference.

Pray for me y'all!

Because if Noah shows me his armpit hair (the ONE he's got) one more time......

No, pray for their father. You see, he has taken the boys on a guys only weekend. A coming of age trip, so to speak. To ummmm......have some man time. In the wilderness. To do manly things. And have manly talks....about stuff. Manly stuff. If you catch my drift......

And y'all, we are such homeskoolers

that we bought a curriculum* for this.

Complete with projects!

Our kids are so gonna get us back one day!

*Passport 2 Purity

My boys!

Hello, I'm glad you decided to join me again. Today I continue to delight in flipping through hundreds of pictures, pulling out some favorites to post here, and the kids and I are enjoying hours of home video verses watching TV this week.

Okay, who am I kidding! I still had to watch 18 Kids and Counting! It's an addiction and pretty sure there is a 10 step program I'll have to check into at some point. I'm okay with that.

But, this post isn't about the Duggars. It's about my sweet, soon to be, teenage boys. There. I said it. Happy?

My boys were born on a Wednesday and came home on the following Monday. Nothing was ever the same after that. It's been one wild ride!

Noah taking the wheel. As usual.

The story we tell about Noah is how he got so angry at being born second that he showed his butt. Literally. That is the first part we all got to see, because he came out bottom first. He screamed, turned red and them held his breath while he turned purple! He has raced through life ever since, trying to be first and loving speed!

This particular Christmas was the one when I found pieces of gold bead strands that had been cut off the tree and left on the floor. I followed the trail up to the boys room to find them giving each other new hair cuts! Thankfully, I caught this before it got too far. Parker lost a chunk from the front, but it covered well. Let's just say that Noah isn't "cut out" for a job as a hair dresser! Unless mullets are coming back.

My favorite times were the years between 1 and 5! Before one was so much work and after 5 it seemed like they were grown up too much. But, that time in between was so much fun!

bath time was always a blast. One of my favorite times of the day. They were such messy eaters that they had to get a bath right after dinner, every night! I always threw them in the tub downstairs, bathed them and then they ran through the house naked to their bedroom upstairs....stopping to warm their heinies at the fireplace in the winter! But, they refused to let me share those pictures. If I'd taken pictures of that. Which I totally would not have done. Because that would be INAPPROPRIATE! You know.

Yes, they were a handful.

But, a handful of fun! And, I was always glad to have my hands full!

Of, course the reality is that they had their moments too!
But, they were darn cute even in the throws of a tantrum.

They loved their big Sissy.

And each other. These two were always inseparable. Best friends. By this time, we were dressing Noah in red and Parker in blue so preschool teachers and neighbors and friends could tell who was who. Believe it or not, they are Fraternal. No one believes me.

Okay, I'll be honest here. Noah is the one I found wrapped in toilet paper and covered in baby powder. Make that, found him and his entire room covered in baby powder! Including his brother who is sitting there laughing at his antics! He's the one that climbed out of the crib and electrocuted himself with a nightlight. He's the one that screamed so badly after a little fall that he passed out. The one that refused to walk for an entire day when he was 18 months old, and AFTER I'd spent the next entire day at the doctor's office, having blood drawn and getting x-rays, I bring him home, set him down on the floor and HE GETS UP AND WALKS TO HIS TOYS! The little booger. He's the one that snuck his uncle's wallet and hid it in the closet, and only after said uncle is about to panic, does he share this information.

He's also the one that makes me laugh every blessed day of my life!

And, Parker. How was he special? What do I remember most about him as a little guy? I remember the flowers he brought me from the yard to put in my hair. The notes he flew to me as paper airplanes. My sweet, sweet boy!

He makes my heart so full!

It seems like only yesterday that they came to snuggle in bed with us and fell asleep. Today they still come to snuggle, thank you God. They're just a little bit bigger!

Goodnight

This week

This week I will be a virtual single parent. Paul will only be home a total of one day and two nights from now until next Sunday. Not two consecutive nights either.

This week should be interesting.

This week is a regular week of school for my kids. Plus we have SMART Class and an orthodontist evaluation and more extra classes and piano.

This week I had to cancel Claire's urology appointment.....'cause ummmm, single parent here, and I can't do it all.

This week will be interesting.

This week I will wallow in memories of the days when I had two sweet little guys. I will commemorate the first 12 years of their lives on this very blog....you get to indulge me.

I know you are thrilled.

And, on Friday of this week....yes, on Friday the 13th, my twins will be 13!

This week my boys will become teenagers. I don't even like to say that word. The "T" word. But, it will happen whether I like it or not.

That bridge will be crossed and there will be no going back. Will they be amazing young men? Yes, I think so. And, they are ready.....I'm not.

This week I will get over that.

This week, after watching the home movies and skipping down memory lane for a few days, I will put on my big girl panties and deal with it.

This week, my amazing boys will turn 13 and I get to be the proud mother of two teenage boys.

But first, this week, I will share some of my favorite memories with you. 'Cause I'm sweet that way!

This picture was taken in the hospital, when Noah finally got to come out of the nursery after days of being on monitor. My parent's are holding them....together again. Parker is on the left and Noah on right. Yes, I'm sure!

The day they go home from the hospital!

Parker and Noah, just a few weeks old, with their triplet, Megan! I love this picture!

My tiny little boys

My mother with.....ummmm, a boy. I will admit, that I don't know which child is which in every single picture. Most, but not every.single.one. Too late to worry about

LOVE THIS PICTURE!

Paul with Parker, Mark with Megan, and my Dad with Noah.

Paul's brother, David and his wife, Jeanie with the boys for the first time.

I just think this is a sweet picture. The boys were so teeny tiny and cuddly.

Daddy with his boys!

Both set of grandparents at the Baptism. I love this because everyone is smiling.

My grandmother and Paul's grandmother.

Grandma Gour is no longer with us and my grandmother is....but she isn't. So this picture is dear to me.

The boys have two sets of amazing God Parents! This is Becky with Parker and Kip holding Noah.

And, in this one Carmel has Parker and Tom has Noah. We chose the people we did because they are wonderful examples of faithful people.

Lizze and her boys at Easter. She had her hands full!

No idea why I like this, I just do. It reminds me of how I had to carry them places. Imagine toting both these car seats around! When I would take them to the doctor I had to get both seats out, but they were too heavy for me to carry them both for long. The office was not close to the parking lot. So, I would walk one car seat a few steps, put it down, go back for the other one and walk it a few steps past the first one, go back for the first one and so on. Sounds funny now! Even I laugh now. Not funny then.

Handsome boys!

Noah and Parker

Loud boys!
Noah and Parker

This was before we started dressing Noah in all the red clothes and Parker in all the blue clothes. We started that so others had a better chance of telling them apart!

Happy boys!

Parker is on the left this time and Noah on the right.

What a cutie!

Wild man! Noah would get in this Johnny jump-up and jump himself silly!

This picture makes me laugh! The things we did for our kids. The boys hated textures and would shiver when they touched sand, so we brought the little pool for them to play in at the beach. Now, if one of my kids had this issue, I'd probably plop them down in the sand and tell them to get over it....but those guys were my first, so I drug the pool out to the beach!

Sweetness! That is Parker sleeping and Noah not....of course.

Loved their new swing.
Noah

What a chunky monkey!
Parker

The double trouble stroller. I still have it. Why? Who knows. But, that thing was a pain.

First birthday!

Having twins was a dream come true for me. Most people think I'm nuts, but I prayed for them! And I was thrilled that they were boys. Having them was a lot of work, but it was a lot of fun too!

Tomorrow I'll try to share some stories. Because, I got stories!