Coconut Ceremony

My mom follows a tradition that on the 40th day after the birth of a child, a "coconut ceremony" is performed.  Apparently, this tradition came from the Indonesian island she was born on, and the purpose of the ceremony is to wish a child a long, healthy and successful life. The first coconut ceremony I've experienced was for my niece almost 6 years ago, then my nephew two years later, and now for the twins.  However, we didn't exactly make it on the 40th day for the twins, but rather the 95th...so I hope this still works!  Evan is a little skeptical about this tradition anyway because he failed to find it on google!  I agreed to go through with it because I knew there would be alot of good food!

The ceremony begins with a peeled coconut with a hole cut into it...

Then, a tiny bit of hair is cut from the baby's head...in this case, two babies.  Here is Evan's mom hesitantly cutting Bryce's hair (while my mom did Benjamin's).  Bryce looks like he's thinking, what in the heck are you doing? 

The hair is then dropped into the coconut, and afterwards we had to keep the coconut for 7 days.  That's about it!  Yes, you're probably thinking, this family is odd.

Poor Benjamin was so tired throughout the whole thing.

Here are my sweet boys looking so handsome in their shirt and vest.  Benjamin still looks so tired while his brother has a goofy smirk on his face :)

Words can't express how much we adore these two little boys...

Finally, Some Pics Of Mommy With The Boys

Several of my friends have pointed out that there are no pictures of me with the boys...I guess that's what happens when you're the dedicated photographer of the family.  So, this morning, I finally had Evan shoot a few of us outside in this beautiful fall weather. 

Of course I couldn't resist taking a few shots of my three favorite men...too bad we couldn't get the four of us in one picture!

Poor Benjamin (on the left) was so sleepy.  We were bad parents for waking him up from a nap to take these pictures!  Then again, Bryce didn't look so happy either, huh?  One of these days, they're really going to hide my camera from me.

Our beautiful Benjamin...

And, our adorable Bryce...

The Boys Turned 3 Months Old Today!

It's 11pm and I want to get this post out before midnight since today is the boys' 3 month birthday, so I better type fast.  I can't believe my little guys are now three months old.  The first two months felt more like two years (because of the multiple late night feedings!), but the third month flew by so fast (we are down to one late night feeding per child)!  What a difference sleep makes! 

At three months, the boys:
-sleep 7 to 11 hours through the night
-are smiling ALOT :)
-have excelled the "death grip" on my hair
-know how to hit and spin the hanging animals on their vibrating chair's mobile
-are starting to hold their heads up when laying on our chest
-are trying to roll over (or at least it looks like it)
-sure know what a bottle looks like and what it means!
-drink up to 6 ounces per feeding
-stare at our mouths when they see us eating (and start moving their own mouths!)
-are starting to giggle
-have discovered their tongue and creating lots of bubbles and drool with it
-love looking at themselves in the mirror
-are finally starting to enjoy their swing
-love to stare at the TV
-enjoy baths
-are now wearing size 1-2 diapers

I know there must be more, but I'm getting too sleepy to think.  So, here is their 3 month pic...

3 monkeys = 3 months...They were not in the mood for pictures today!

2 months old...

1 month old...

Few hours old...notice how big that tiny dot band aid looks on Bryce's hand (well, at least I think that one is Bryce).

12 Weeks In & 12 Weeks Out

The twins turn 12 weeks old today!  In celebration of this occasion, here is a flashback image at 12 weeks inside my stomach...

And here they are 12 weeks after coming out of my stomach!

These pajamas were the very first baby item I bought for the boys after finding out I was pregnant. I think it wasn't until my second trimester when I got the nerve to buy something. It was such a surreal moment...like getting engaged and trying on wedding dresses for the first time!

Enjoying the Weather

The weather was so nice yesterday that we spent most of the afternoon outdoors.  Before leaving the house, the boys enjoyed a little lounge by the pool for the first time :)

(On a side note: To all my Southwest friends, notice the towel...I'm still marketing for you!)

Bryce looked like he was ready for a nap...

Getting two babies to smile for the camera is nearly impossible, but I think this comes pretty close!

They're so darn sweet together :)

Before going shopping, we met up with cousin Claire and cousin Will for lunch at Chuy's.  Yummy! Yummy!  We even got to sit outside!