Graduating from NLA

After an amazing 5 years with the Next Level Academy J graduates. Such a bittersweet time. We are very excited to watch these boys continue to grow but will miss the close teammates and their families. The past 3 years we have trained weekly, early Sunday mornings, traveled to regionals and nationals with this team. These boys are National Champions. They won their first National title in U9 after a tough game against the San Antonio team from Chicago. In the U10 year San Antonio came back to take the championship and our boys came home with 2^nd place. This past year the boys have trained so hard, all the hard work paid off when they brought home the National Title for the last time. Congratulations to all the boys.

Every year J gives a speech at the ceremony. The first year he was missing his front teeth and told everyone he was off to play for Liverpool. So sweet! He has grown so much, not just physically but mentally and as a player. We are so proud of him!

 

(sorry it is a little shaky, Caleb was filming it while I was taking pictures :)

U9 Regional Champions

U9 National Champions

U10 Regional Champions

U10 National Finalist

U11 Regional Champions

U11 National Champions

 

 

 

 

The Magnets

 Lately if someone asked me about the twins I would tell them they are little magnets. They are attached to me and go through major separation anxiety but they are so attached to each other. I will place one behind the couch to play with toys and the other near the tv and they are like little magnets drawn to each other. They will find each other in the room and start playing side by side. When I remove the baby gate so they can crawl all around the downstairs they race off together. If one gets too far ahead the other will sit down and wait. Once they are all caught up they take off again. It is amazing to watch. At naptime they have been reaching through the cribs to touch each other. They are also starting to chat (babble) away. Usually it is A fussing at M to not touch her. M also thinks he is a riot and will just start laughing.  I think A has also learned the word No. If I say no to them she likes to repeat No, No, No while shaking her head. Poor M, he is going to have 2 mothers looking after him J

Below are a few recent pictures of our day to day routine…..

 

 

Part 2.....there are 2 heartbeats

So I am really pregnant, we have made it official by telling our family. The boys were so excited, my family was shocked, and of course my mom cried tears of joy. We went up to Virginia for Thanksgiving and shared it with Eric’s family. It was perfect, Eric’s cousin also had the same surprise for the family. What a special moment to be able to share the same news with the entire family. I was glad Eric was able to tell his mom in person and to see her face. Priceless!

 It was now time for the first appointment! I figured this would be a pretty easy appointment, you know been there done that! I should have known it would be different when I went in and saw a new doctor at my practice. I think she was younger then I was, I wanted to see her delivery records. She was very sweet but I don’t know if it was the pregnancy but I went in saying something else must be wrong with me.  We talked for a while and she assured me that my numbers were pretty high so I was really pregnant but we would go take a look so she could measure and get a due date.

 At this point I was so in love with the baby, my heart was so full of joy….it was my head that had not caught up, I still could not wrap my brain around the idea we were starting again.

I laid there on the table and can remember being so excited to see the heartbeat. I loved all my appointments when I was able to hear the boy’s heartbeats but there is something about seeing it for the first time. At that point I really wish Eric was there but he was home with the boys, we figured it would be a quick appointment, meet the new doctors, get a few pictures, and set up the next appointment.

 The sweet doctor was still reassuring me nothing I could have done before knowing I was pregnant would have hurt the baby, everything was going to be perfect, and then she went silent. I stared at the screen, she stared, I saw the sac, and then the other sac! My first question---That is not a reflection there is it? She responded no, she thought I would handle it better if I said it first. Nope, still in shock!!! Yes, there clear as day, 2 sacs and 2 strong heartbeats beating away. WOW! I am glad I was already laying down. I started to laugh hysterical.  I could not take my eyes of the screen as she typed the words TWINS. Picture this, I am trying to answer her questions but still laughing away. She asked if she could give me something. I am thinking YES! I really think I need something now. She went in the hall and brought in my yearly doctor I normally see. Once she told me everything was perfect with the twins I was ok…. I pulled myself together, checked out, and drove home.

 I cannot remember that drive at all, I just left the office and then I was pulling up in my driveway. I walked in and handed Eric the picture, he already knew it. He had been telling our family that we would have twins ever since I took the pregnancy test. The boys on the other hand could not believe it. They were so excited we would be getting 2 babies. L was the most excited! I was really worried on how he would react not being the youngest anymore but he was ecstatic. We won he yelled, I was thinking won what? We beat the W family, they had one more and are now a family of 6, and we get 2 and will be a family of 7!! That boy is too funny, yes there is no competition in this family……

 And the pregnancy begins…..our hearts are all overwhelmed with love for these two little ones!!!

Finding out we were pregnant with the twins......part 1

Do you ever have just one of those feelings? You know the one that makes you stop and really think? I remember the exact moment it hit me, I had just finished with L’s Boosterthon at school and was helping his 1^st grade teacher and room mom clean the classroom. We were having a talk and I was telling them about a dream I had the night before. They were amazed I could remember it in such detail. Then it hit me, the only time I have these types of dreams is when I am pregnant. No, could not be that. I was heading to the store and while I was there I picked up the cheapest pregnancy test, I mean why buy the name brand one right? Well I took it and did not have to wait the 3 minutes it clearly showed the 2 lines. First shock came over then I thought this cheap store brand test, I better go get a real one. So back to the store I went and picked up the 2 pack of EPT.  I took one of the EPT’s and it was without a doubt the plus sign. Still not convinced I went ahead and took the other one. I sat there on the hardwood floor forever staring at these three tests. WOW! Eric and I were not trying for this, we did not have any of those oops moments, this was all God’s timings.  What to do now. I knew I needed to pick myself up off the floor and get ready for the afternoon carpool but I needed to tell someone. Eric was working at the office that day and figured I should not give him that type of surprise over the phone so naturally I called someone who had just been through the same thing.  The conversation sticks in my head so clearly along with the scream that came from the other end of the line. But mostly it was the excitement in her voice that I needed to hear! I needed to hear it will be alright, I needed to hear we just went through it too, I needed to hear that God is great and this little one is going to fit in perfectly with our family.
 

 

Two hours went by and it was time to head off to pick up the boys. I decided I would tell Eric as soon as he came in the door so I made a quick run by Walmart and picked up a little onesie along with fabric paint. While waiting I painted Little Bratager July 2012. And then I sat in carpool line in shock. Yes shock will be used a lot over the next few weeks/months!

 

 The longer I sat there the more it was hitting. Amy you ARE pregnant and you are starting all over again. The tears started. Not because I was not happy, it was tears of being scared. My body had changed a lot could I handle this pregnancy? Did I really have 2 Diet Cokes and Excedrin yesterday? Is that going to hurt the baby?  The poor lady next to me wanted to get out of her car but I waved her off. I held my phone up like I was on it. She is probably thinking crazy mom alert! It was time for a good talk with God. Seriously, is this really what you want for our family! You do know we gave away EVERYTHING! You do know I am going to be one of those older moms who has one in kindergarten and one in college. We had a nice long chat J I pulled myself together long enough to get the boys to their first soccer drop off and I could not hold it in (sorry Eric) I just had to tell someone in person!! And out came another scream!! Yes, I showed her a picture of all 3 tests just so she would believe me!!  That is when the hug came and more tears flowed. Still tears of being scared to death on how much things will change but also tears of excitement, tears of joy!

 Off to the last soccer practice of the day and Eric headed to a soccer sale an hour away after work. I could not believe I had this incredible news to tell him and he would not be home for another 4 hours! I was visiting with 3 of the moms from C’s age when I shared the news with them. Maybe if I said it out loud I will start to believe it myself.  More screams, more tears, more hugs, more reassurance that this is the best news! By this time of the day I was laughing hysterical, I was thinking ok, if I could just tell Eric it will really be true!

 Eric finally made it home that night at 11:10. I told Eric I went shopping today too and mine is going to cost more then what he spent at the soccer sale (for those who have been totally get this!) He opened the onesie and read it, he had this look, not of shock but ok lets do this. I looked at him and said honey you do get we are having A BABY. And he said yes, this is great! So calm, so excited, so happy, this is just what I needed…….. 

Teenagers and babies!!

The best way to change a teenagers (lovely) attitude--hand him a baby!!! I love to see how C melts when he is with his brother and sister. It does not matter if he is in the worst mood or if I take away his phone, that boy has so much love for them. Wonder if this will continue to work the next 4 years during high school????

Welcome to the life of a soccer mom and twins

Well here we go, trying to get away from Facebook so much and creating a blog for family and friends. I should first mention I loved math, science, and history in school--writing and grammar not so much!! As you read this blog please ignore all grammatical mistakes :) Most of these posts will be written late at night or in the early mornings up with the twins!

If you still want to follow, good luck!

I grew up as your typical Florida girl!! I loved growing up in Florida!!  We always had a pool in our backyard, I owned more swimsuits then sweaters. Weekends in high school were spent laying out on the causeway going to Fred Howard Beach. I had contests with my brother to see who could get the best tan!! During the summer we were on the boat on the Gulf. There is nothing like the wind blowing in your hair while being on the boat in the Gulf of Mexico. Wow, do I miss those days! I played tennis and cheered my senior year. When it was time to head off to college I choose the school that was on the east coast but still near the beach :) Good ole PBA!! The school where everyone had morning classes so the rest of the day we were out rollerblading around Palm Beach or working on our tans at Clark Beach. When it was time to work we either were nannies for the Palm Beach Socialites or worked on Worth  Avenue. Fast forward through 2 years of cheering at PBA, a lot of time out at the beach, deciding to major in History/Secondary Education, and it is my first week back my junior year. I was there a week early setting up for the incoming Freshman, it was just the welcome week steering committee and the fall athletes. That is when I met him, who knew this blue eyed, long blonde curls, soccer player would be the one that I would spend the rest of my life with.....I will save that story for another day but lets just say I was so in love with Eric that we left the Sunshine State behind and moved up to beautiful North Carolina. Now 3 soccer boys, the cutest twins, and 2 dogs later we are loving life....

Hope you enjoy the day to day journey with my 4 boys and GIRL (yes I still can not believe I get to write that word)........