We just returned from a week in beautiful and sunny Play del Carmen, Mexico. You may be raising your eyebrows thinking "you took two 5-month-old babies to Mexico?!" I know, it sounds crazy. But we went with Russ's family as a celebration of my wonderful mother-in-law's 60th birthday in her home country. :) We felt so blessed to be able to go, and how do you turn down a trip to Mexico? Needless to say, having the twins made pretty much everything more difficult, but it was still a lovely week in a warm and tropical location!

Clara and Max, lounging poolside with their beverage of choice. :)

Just for the record, this is one of my new favorite pictures of all time.

Clara with her Aunts Marcella and Natalie and adoring cousin Lucy. 

Hangin' with my girl.

The birthday girl and two of her grandsons (Benny and Max). This picture just exudes happiness. Max was hamming it up. I love his little face.

Both babies swam for the first time. Max was really unsure about the whole ordeal. He had this face pretty much the whole time we had him near the water. Hopefully he warms up to the idea for this summer. :)

Max and Russ chillin' at the pool. I love his belly and low-riding swimsuit. Haha.

I mean, look at those faces.

Our little family of 4!

Laying in the hammock was probably one of my biggest highlights of the trip. So relaxing. I love how relaxed my two men look in the picture. 

One day we left the resort and went to a place called Xel-Ha, which was a fun park where you could zip-line, snorkel, swim with dolphins, etc. It was gorgeous.

We were very ready to come home and get these babies back to their schedule (it's crazy how much they get messed up when they leave their routine), but dang, I already miss that beautiful weather and scenery Mexico has to offer! Thanks again to Russ's parents for that amazing trip of a lifetime!

5 Months!

Just for tradition sake, I need to document the babies turning 5 months! I'm probably sounding like a broken record, but I really can't believe how fast time is flying. I also know pretty much every mom says this, but I am loving each and every new phase we hit. Right now Max and Clara are sooo much fun. They smile, chuckle, and coo all day long. Ok, maybe not all day (no one likes exaggerating), but they really are extremely happy babies. Sleeping through the night has done wonders to all of our lives. Neither one has rolled over or sat up on their own, but I think we are close. :) I love my babies so very much. We are almost to half a year! Eek!

As I've mentioned before, it is extremely difficult to get TWO babies smiling at the same time! The picture after this had Max smiling, but I liked this one because it shows how they always reach out to each other and hold hands/arms. It melts my heart!

Nothing Is More Important

I heard about this article from my friend Rachel. When I first started reading the article I thought it was a joke. And then when I realized that this girl was so blatantly hating on any woman who wants to be a wife and mother, I felt incredibly sorry for her. Obviously everyone has their different time tables and may be waiting for one or both of these things to come to pass, but to demean such a righteous endeavor with hate and ignorance was shocking. 

Being a wife is such an honor. I can't imagine navigating this life without Russ by my side. And then to be a mother. Geez. Obviously I'm newer to this category, but I literally feel as though my heart has been split into three. 

I read the article last night and couldn't stop thinking about it all day. As I was lathering my babies with moisturizer on the changing table, I kept thinking "nothing is more important than this." Nurturing, comforting and raising these perfect little babies is the most important thing I have ever done. I really am so grateful for this opportunity to mother Max and Clara.  

I'm obsessed with their little feet! They are so cute and chubby. Clara has recently found her feet and is always holding them when she's laying down. It's so dang cute.

By the way, I need to document the fact that we hit a huge milestone a few weeks ago. After 4 months of extreme sleep deprivation (I'm talking getting up 5-6 times a night consistently), Russ and I were desperate enough to make these babies cry-it-out. We had a few incredibly miserable nights, but it paid off! They slept through the night and haven't really gone back! WOOT! Occasionally we will hear them wake up, but they always put themselves back to sleep. Clara has especially loved the schedule and now sleeps a little over 12 hours every night. Oh sleep, we have all missed you. Welcome back! (and please stay?!)