Which one of these things is just like the other one!

I think most girls dream of having twins, and that dream includes dressing these twins the same.  For some reason I don't think we ever consider what will happen if we have a boy and a girl.  Dressing a boy and a girl the same is slightly more complicated.   However, lucky for us there is one thing that all boys and girls love (and mommies too). Winnie the Pooh!!!

These pictures also showed me that while our babies look different, they also look very much alike!   And they have their Daddy's problem of tilting their heads for pictures!   

Nuts for Econuts!

Stink Stink Stink.  Oh and poop.  I think that's what turns most people off of cloth diapering.   But really its not that bad, especially when you can find a cleaning system that works.   I admit, we've struggled with it.  I'm pretty sure that's the hardest part, figuring out the best cleaning solution.   And everyone is different, machines differ, water differs.  So what works for some doesn't work for all.   Recently I bought a new kind of detergent that's cloth diaper safe, its called Econuts! I had been searching for a new detergent when Babyhalfoff.com (any of you mommies who haven't used that site need to check it out!) was featuring Econuts.  So I decided to try!  It also helps that Babyhalfoff is local so I could just pick it up.  I had another order (Swim diapers!) to pick up anyway.  

Well, so far so good!  They diapers smell, well like nothing when they come out of the wash.  Which is perfect. You don't want any odors at all.   The most amazing part is that you don't need hardly any of the detergent to wash it.  Only half a cap, and the cap is TINY!   The bottle was around $10 and does 120 loads!

So what are Econuts?

From their website:

Eco Nuts®  Soap Nuts are a berry that grows in the Himalayas that naturally produces a soap.  The soap is called saponin, a natural cleaner that works as a surfactant, breaking the surface tension of the water to penetrate the fibers of your clothing, lifting stains from the fabric and leaving dirt suspended in the water that is rinsed away.

Eco Nuts are gentle on both clothes and skin, making them ideal for those with sensitive skin, eczema, allergies and psoriasis. Because they are so mild, they are perfect for baby clothes and cloth diapers. All-Natural Eco Nuts are also great for septic and grey water systems. But don’t expect these shells to foam up like commercial soaps, which have artificial foaming agents. Foam simply does not represent cleaning power.

Eco Nuts are wild-harvested, meaning they are gathered from wild trees grown without any kind of chemicals, fertilizers, or pesticides. The saponin actually tastes bad to insects so no pesticides are needed, and the trees naturally love poor uncultivated soil. They are organically grown by mother earth and certified USDA Organic by Oregon Tilth.

Pretty cool huh?   Normally they look like this:



But we got the liquid form which is supposed to be good for HE machines




Who knew washing detergent could be so interesting!

We Skyped

Last night Charlie and Adella Skyped Grandma & Grandpa Button.  Really all by themselves!

OK, Maybe they had a little help, but it was pretty funny to have only them in front of the computer when we called our favorite missionaries.   Grandma and Grandpa got a kick out of it too!

Just Because

Just because they are so darn cute, and because I needed some happiness on Monday (I had minor surgery), I had to take more pictures.  I know there are at least 4 readers (grandma's and grandpa's) who don't get sick of pictures, so here you go!!   (I don't know why I couldn't get Charlie to smile, he is becoming difficult now on camera, reminds me of someone else I know!  He's definitely ALL BOY!)

 I've been catching these two holding hands lately, but never can get it on camera.  I don't know if its on purpose or they just like grabbing things!  Whatever the case, its so darn cute when it happens!

Three Months!

These guys hit three months on Saturday, so of course we had to do a little photo shoot!

Adam was trying to get them to smile, he mostly succeeded in getting them to look away from the camera!  

Do you notice the red marks on Charlie's arms and legs?  Those appeared RIGHT as we put him down to do the photo shoot.  It was so strange, they appeared out of nowhere.   For the next day or so, they would randomly appear and then go away just about as quickly.  We're pretty sure they were a wierd manifestation of a virus the twins both must have had.  Adella had woken up Friday night with a slight cough and stuffy nose.  She also had a fever of 101.4!  Scared us a little bit!  We called our Dr's triage nurse and they had us give her baby tylenol (thank goodness we had some) and then we went to see the Dr the next day, by then no fever and she didn't act sick.  Charlie never acted sick either and these rashes or whatever didn't seem to bother him.  Nothing like getting sick to celebrate your three month birthday!

Little Miss Adella has learned a lot over the last month!   She's started "laughing" though the sound isn't there all that much yet, she usually will let out one giggle and then keep her mouth open real wide like there's more there, she just can't get it out!  She has a very very strong neck and rolled over for the first time last week!   In the last week she has also discovered her voice.  What started out as some sweet little coos has turned into full blown strong loud words!   She has a LOT to say apparently!   She still loves to be swaddled and calms down almost instantly when she is wrapped up.   She still has a hard time falling asleep for naps.   She started swatting at things (Charlie was first though) and loves her brother!  Since she got to go to the Dr on Saturday her 3 month weight was 11 lbs 4 oz.

This little man is so funny.  He's become all smiles lately and I just love his big toothless grin.  Its hard to get on camera, but its super cute!  He's not as talkative as Adella, but I can tell its coming!  He does get a kick out of listening to Adella talk, I've caught him a few times just grinning at her as she talks, its pretty darn cute!    Charlie isn't a fan of being swaddled anymore, so he sleeps in a sleep sack and loves it!   He sleeps all through the night pretty much every night (we still have to go calm Adella down quite often).    He is very good at hitting his toys on his play mat and making them sing.  He concentrates very hard and makes a purposeful effort at it, Adella just swats and hopes she hits it!   Its really fun seeing some of the differences come out in these two!