The boys were four months old last Sunday, and I can't believe it has been that long! They are so sweet (usually) and really add to the happy tone of our home. Here are some of the latest pictures: Usually after their 6 am feeding, we put the boys on their tummies and let them go back to sleep for a few hours (I know, I know, they aren't supposed to sleep on their stomachs. This is usually the time of the morning that I am in and out of the room, getting ready for the day, so they are being supervised.). On the particular morning that I took this picture, they had worked their way to the middle of the crib till their heads were touching, and stayed like this. They slept for five hours this way. It was so sweet to see the "twin bond." And I know you aren't supposed to bottle prop babies, but I do that, too. Am I totally giving you incriminating photo proof of what a bad mom I am or what? It is like this, though: when the boys werenewborn and still in the NICU, we were told to hold them facing away from us to eat. This way they didn't have to work too hard, trying to make eye contact with us, and they could just focus on the task at hand: eating. So, now they eat much better if we lay them on their sides and prop their bottles. We do stay by them, burp them halfway through, and make sure they get burped at the end. Besides, I think that the person who came up with the "No Bottle Propping" thing never tried to feed two babies at once!

And because boys always love to wear beads... The next two pictures are so funny. The boys were crying while I was trying to get their bottles ready, so Emma decided to do something to make them happy. She went and got some of her dress up necklaces and put them on the boys. Jonathan with his green necklace and bottle... And William who obviously didn't want the purple necklace. The funny thing about this is that he was crying and I left him to cry while I ran to get my camera so I could take a picture!

More results of a "big helper" big sister: Again, one day while Jonathan was fussing, Emma went and got her pink bear for him. It makes her happy when she is sad, so of course it would make him happy, too. She was so excited that he was "holding" her bear and smiling while he did it! I love his little laugh! Is he going to be so mad at me when he gets older, for posting pictures of him holding a pink teddy bear all over the internet? I hope not!

And the final big helper picture of the week: Yes folks, this is what I found when I heard whimpers coming from the crib. "Oh, William must be waking up," I thought. My next thought on my way to my bedroom was, "I haven't seen Emma in the last couple of minutes...she is awfully quiet. I wonder if she is in her room." Imagine my surprise when this was what I found (yes, she got in there all by herself)! "But he needed his binky, Mom." Good thing I had my camera in my apron pocket. We are going to bless the boys this Sunday at church. These are the gowns that my Nannie got for the boys to wear. Aaron and Russell say that boys don't wear "bonnets," even if it is their baby blessing. I say that Aaron and Russell aren't very into baby blessing fashions. What do you think? Bonnet or no bonnet? Really, why am I even asking-they are going to wear them anyway! And finally, on to me: My tomatoes! I took a picture of the whole plant, but it wasn't nearly as pretty as these pictures, so I left it off. I got one cherry tomato plant, and planted it in the large concrete planter outside. I thought it would be fun to have a few tomatoes. The plant is now taller than me, and is loaded with the most delicious tomatoes! Emma likes to go "check on the tomatoes" several times each day. She and I love picking them together-and somehow we never make it inside with them. They are just too yummy! Mmmm, lots of little green ones mean lots of little red ones in a few more weeks!

And one last thing that has been on my mind...I hesitate to even write anything about it because my words can't do it all justice. I recently became friends with a girl who had been trying for six years to start a family with her husband. After turning to adoption (and not becoming parents that way), they found out very unexpectedly that they were pregnant with twin girls. (That is actually how I met her-she was a friend of Aaron's family in California, and a mutual family friend told her about my blog since I had just had twins.) Well, they found out several weeks ago that their babies were experiencing Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome, a condition that sometimes affects twins sharing a placenta. After a surgery to attempt to fix the TTTS, my friend developed an infection and the babies had to be delivered at 20 weeks. One was stillborn, and the other lived an hour. My heart aches for my friend and her husband. Even though I have never met her in person, her story has changed my outlook on my own life. She and her husband have been such a great example to me as they have gone through this situation. They have remained steadfast in their testimonies that families are forever. I am grateful to them for being willing to share their thoughts and feelings with others. My testimony has been strengthened and my perception on motherhood has changed. Middle of the night wakings aren't as annoying as they once were. I have learned to cherish the quiet moments with whichever of the kids is awake in the middle of the night. I have spent more time just watching them and being thankful for the time I have with these precious little ones. I just want to thank my friends for their examples, and I hope that they will continue to have the peace and comfort that they need during this time.

That is all for now. Have a good week.