Helena and Ryan Twigg

Natalie LOVES pre-K! She is shy when we get there, but within a few minutes she doesn’t even notice that Logan (who wishes he could stay too) and I are leaving! Gymnastics is similar too. They start off with a few warm up games and she wont do anything but hug my leg, however when the running and tumbling starts she is unstoppable. She loves to jump off the spring board and land with her feet ‘together’ and throwing her arms into the air while yelling ‘tada!!’. They are also introducing the balancing beam, trampoline, pit and flying with a harness. She can hardly sit still when it comes to ‘flying like tinkerbell’. They have a rope with a little harness and a trampoline…you get the idea.

It has been months and months, I know I know, since I last updated. There has been a lot going on. I also don’t like this website layout and other little things, so I tend to forget about it.

First things first, my camera has broken so there will be no new pictures for a while. I will send out an email to everyone letting you know when I post some.

I drove, with kids, to Maine in July and was there for about 3 weeks. We went up for several reasons, the larges was a memorial for my uncle Jack, who had died of cancer back in January. He and Marcia were in Florida for the winter months so the memorial was held until summer when all would be in Maine. It was a lovely service and the family turn out was amazing for my family. Besides the somber event Maine was wonderful. It rained almost everyday, was down right cold at times and the mosquitos and flies were unlike anything I had (all agreed) ever experienced. I would unbuckle the kids from their car seats (2000 Honda Civic) and have Natalie get on Logan’s side. I would then hop out of the car, run to his side and grab him, she would jump out and we would all run into my grandmothers kitchen. Some days were worse than others, but if you didn’t have bug dope (natural crap doesn’t work but for 5 minutes at a time) on you were one sorry SOB. Logan and I tend to be bug attractants, whereas Natalie and Ryan are indifferent, so incredibly unfair. Per bug bit I get huge welts that last for a week. Sigh. Getting back to the rain, it flooded my aunts basement, raised the lake so much so that boats, docks, rafts, etc were floating away, breaking apart or sinking!

Natalie and Logan loved being with all that family, on both sides. There were many cousins (mine) ranging in age from about 3mo - 17yr all of whom (exception 3 month old Henry) played/tolerated my two. Logan is now 13 months and has been walking for about 3 months. He is now dancing, running, climbing, starting to talk, plays peekaboo, gets things when asked, puts shoes away or gets them and puts them on my feet (asking to go outside), has 8 teeth and so much more. Natalie is 2 1/2 years old and is very verbal. Her comprehension and usage of the english language is astonishing, along with her memory. As of right now she loves purple, especially her purple dresses. Oh, Natalie will be starting school (not really school but an intro to) in a week. She will go 2x a week for 4 hours each day. We will be going to a mommy and me gymnastics class once a week.

So remember back in November, the last time we all went to Maine, I had Ryan install some lights in the carriage house for my grandmother. Well, it lasted about 2 months. The roof of the carriage house collapsed from ice. It is still a pile of timber, mold and debris. Last I heard the reconstruction is to start sometime in September. I was trying to help when I was there by cleaning but I failed. I was unable to make a dent.

The house is coming along, Ry has painted the outside trim white. The porch and balcony needs a second coat, but it is a huge improvement. I just finished painting the trim in the pantry…entire house needs to be done…. Ryan found a leak in the basement and has fixed that along with removing all the mess that it caused (mostly moldy rugs/floor). Oh, the list goes on and on. Just come on by and see for yourself! My house is a mess, it looks like some monster vomited toys everywhere!! I am in the process of eliminating most of them from my house. There is NO need for this many toys. Kids are supposed to go outside and play, aren’t they?! :o)

Ryan has turned 30, the first among all our friends, and we celebrated by going to Baltimore with some friends. We had a great time, thank you everyone that was apart of the celebration. Next year many of us turn 30 within 2 months, I wonder what will happen.

Well November has come and gone…yippy. Natalie and I got a nasty cold, the boys got it but weren’t hounded by it like us gals. We were sick for 3 weeks. I didn’t go to the gym for almost 4 weeks (1 week we were out of town). Week 3 we were well enough to go but I decided to keep us as well as possible for our trip to Maine.

I wasn’t looking forward to the drive, usually it is filled with protests that do not go away. However, this trip was ok. I had lots of food and toys/books for Natalie, Logan just snoozed or looked at his sister. We arrived on Saturday night and quickly learned that there was a cow up for slaughter in the AM. Ryan soon was in the crew (my cousin Rafe and uncle Max) and we decided to call my dad (he has shot the past 4 cows). It should have been a couple hour job, but of course that isn’t how things work. It turned into one big problem after another. The cow didn’t suffer, he didn’t even know what happened, it’s what happened after. A heavy cow and a too small pully, broken rope x 3, light truck, short come-along, and a 25′ tripod. I regret not getting pictures. Ryan went hunting with my dad and family, no luck. Per my bright idea Ryan installed two lights into my grandmothers garage, which is more like an old barn attached to the house. It had one light that only illuminated the roof of the car, we all needed more light when fetching wood, looking for tools, etc. Our ride home was equally good, it just felt looooong. Ry is going to his farm to hunt this weekend.

Logan had his 4 month check up and shots this week. His just under 18lbs and 27.5″. He is a big boy. He didn’t like the shots at all. Natalie didn’t either, but Logan really didn’t. He has turned over a few times but none on purpose. He seems to be teething, droll is everywhere. Natalie is about 24lb. Her vocab is just exploding. Everyday she is learning, remembering and saying so much more. We have to be very careful about every thing we say. She loves to repeat. Her favorite activity is reading. She will not go to sleep for naps or the night without reading her Dragon book. She does love her routine.

Well, Logan is about 2.5 months old and boy is he big! He is about 15lb and 25″. He can hold his head up just fine, he loves to be in the snugglie looking out at people. He isn’t sleeping through the night because he is a pig, he has a one constant thought…FOOD. Natalie is a fantastic big sister. She lets me know if he is crying, helps put things away or the trash, loves to help carry things (ex. grocery bags out of the car). Doing the dishes or helping me stir food is always a pleaser. We have an air popper for popcorn and that has to be her favorite item in the kitchen. She is 21.5 months and she is still wearing 18 month clothing…although about to go up. Logan is about to go into the 6 month bracket for clothing! If Natalie runs around bare bottom she is potty trained (very few accidents), although if we put a diaper (cloth or disposable) she could care less and usually runs away if we try and change her.

Ry and I have been working on the house (b/c of cooler weather). I have been going a little crazy with a friends pressure washer (love the thing!!). I use it on the carpets, house siding, concrete back porch and am about to do the front porch, which I am sanding in preparation for painting! We decided to paint all the trim in the house white, so Ry is almost done installing the trim in the kitchen. Next he is going to fix up the windows outside, and repaint them all white. The list can go on….

Well, we did it. We have had the second little one.
Logan Michael Twigg
Born: July 15, 2007 at 2:01am
Weight: 9lb 4.8oz
Lenght: 20 1/2 inch

If you want to see pictures go to the Gallery.

I know, I know. I am bad. It has been a long time since I updated this website. Although, some of the reasons are not my fault!! Travel (Florida twice), new operating system and lack of software to reinstall our camera stuff….

At the end of February Natalie and I went to Florida for a 2 week vacation. We had a grand time visiting my aunt and uncle on the east coast and his (Ry’s) aunt, uncle and cousin on the west coast. However, 2 weeks away from home and Ry was a bit much at this point. Natalie loves the warm weather, she was very sad to come home to PA and clothing.

March (last 3 out of 5) and April weekends were very busy. 3 we went to his family farm in MD, 1 was a bbq at friends, 1 was spent with my family (dad and stepmom), 1 was home with my bf whom was home from Nevada while Ry was away playing games, and 1 was us all at home together. My dad, stepmom and youngest brother arrived for a quick visit late the last Sunday of April.

May so far is the busiest of all. I have already had a dr’s appointment this month, 1 of 3. The first weekend was Cinco de Mayo so of course we attended a bbq party until 8pm (Nat’s bed time). The 8th was my birthday so I had a nice full day of pampering and a night out of the house with my husband and no kid. Wednesday we had our tree trimmed. The second weekend we flew to Florida for Ryan’s cousin’s college graduation. This week we are getting a new 6′ privacy fence, I have another dr’s appointment and I leave/drive for/to Maine (w/o Ry). A 1 week trip for a wedding and vacation to visit my family. When I get back we will have a new roof and gutters, Ry and I will celebrate our 2nd Wedding Anniversary and I will have another dr’s appointment.

Natalie is finally starting to grow a bit, she is wearing cloth diapers while home which means she has a really big bum so she is fitting into her 18 month clothing. However, if she is wearing the disposables she is only in 12 months, right now it is almost 50/50 between the two. I am large and in charge…comparing the pictures of myself pregnant with Natalie and this one I am much bigger this time around. I feel great most of the time, my only real complaint is the lower back and rib pain I get andit only happens when I overdo it…which is most of the time, but I know it is my fault. This time of year there is so much to do!! Gardening, trimming, spring cleaning, getting out of the house….

I will sort pictures and start uploading this week. The computer is still having issues talking to our camera and will NOT see the video’s I took…grr…there is one that could win AFV.

We had our ultra sound today, and we decided to find out the sex of baby number 2. It will be a BOY. He was by no means shy on screen.

Natalie asked to use the potty (no words actually involved), so I put her on the seat and she went pee. She has since asked several times and is completely thrilled with herself. I hope this is a trend that gets stronger and stronger, especially before our boy comes into the world. Only having to change one baby’s diapers would be fantastic.

Natalie is now walking across a room or more without any help. She loves to hold onto a finger and go on longer walks. She has some molars coming in. I was told numerous times that the front teeth were the worst of the teeth, pain wise. UNTRUE! Natalie is miserable all the time due to her teeth. It has been a very long week/weekend and looks like it will be the same this week. Reading is one of her favorite activities. She can sit still for a very long time as long as book are involved. She is a very determined young lady and has to turn the pages herself, and likes to go over the book many times before she wants to move on.

I feel great. The ‘it’ baby is moving around like a champ, I haven’t put any weight on yet, but my belly does have a bit of a bulge. The next Dr’s appointment is at the end of Feb, at which time we are also having the ultrasound. We haven’t decided if we will find out the sex or not. If we do, don’t worry I will post it.

We have to get rid of our second cat ASAP. A couple of months ago we got rid of Terk, we though that due to his personality that he was the bad cat of the house. Well, we were wrong. It is Bruce. Bruce is more like a dog, he comes when called. He wants to be sitting in your lap, gets underfoot, and rolls around on his belly asking for a good rub down. He is a great cat..so we though. He has become very territorial of all things in the house. He is peeing all over. In the past it was so rare we figured it was due to the littler box not being pristine. He preferred cardboard boxes or bags (suitcases) that just came from a trip. When we moved into this house, he stepped it up and started to pee on some of Natalie’s things..that was went we got rid of Terk. He now is peeing on the front and back door mat/rugs, tool bag (full of tools, nails, screws, drills…), basement carpet, our moose (one of those long pieces of fabric filled with cold air stopping beans and such for doorways and windows). We know that a stray cat in the neighborhood is spraying our front porch (neighbors too) and that is why he is peeing by the front door…but the rest of the house seems to be spite. He is no longer the main attraction in our house thanks to Natalie. With baby number two on the way, he has got to go. I can’t clean up cat piss any longer. It never stop stinking and I don’t live in a barn.
Want a cat?

Hello all. Natalie is now taking a few steps on her own. She has been standing like a champ for months, but recently became brave enough to take some steps. She usually goes 2-3 then ‘plop’ she is back on her behind. She is also trying very hard to become verbal. She jabbers all the time, and has added a few words back into her dictionary. Mom is the most popular, then dad, then NaNa (for baby and Natalie) and some hand motions which we know the meaning of.

We had a great Christmas. We stayed home, no traveling! We spent Christmas Eve day with the Twiggs, and Christmas Eve Eve with my mom. Christmas day we spent alone doing nothing. It was a nice and calm day, other than my desire to rearrange the living room. It now feels twice as large.

New Years Eve was very low key too. I put Natalie down for the night around 9pm, I lay on the living room floor and passed out around 915pm. Ry passed out around 1015 on the couch. I woke at 10 and decided that it was a lost cause and went to bed, Ry stayed on the couch. In the am we shared angry sentiments about the fireworks. They were loud and random. We were able to fall back to sleep between big bursts. I heard that others though it was over several times and started to leave then…bang, boom, crackle, pop…. The entire time I was cursing and holding my breath, hoping that it wouldn’t wake Natalie. It didn’t. We live about 8 - 10 blocks away, but they were so loud and bright that I though that they were in our back yard, I even got up to make sure some kids weren’t out there.

I feel great, I love my new prenatal vitamins. I have started to feel real movement…especially around 2-4am. Ugh. I am about 14 weeks along. I have my next check up at the end of this month, at which time we will set up the ultrasound…however we don’t plan on finding out the sex of the baby. It was a nice surprise before, and doesn’t make a difference either way. We are well prepared expect for a few extra things which don’t require color coding.

I finally did it!! There are new pictures in the month of June (2nd half), July, August, September, October and a few from November.

We are expecting our second child in July, Ry is thinking it is a boy.

Natalie is near walking. She lets go of objects to clap, stand on her own, or to reach for something just out of reach. She is sleeping from 8 pm - 7 am, takes two naps a day and loves to eat like a 16 year old boy.

Gizmo was put to sleep at 4 months. He had a heart defect that wasn’t able to keep up with him…I will save you all the details.

Ry has grown out his facial hair…hunting season…so please don’t look to closely.