Wheelin' Around! Thanks Grandpa Ronnie

Well, we just had to test out the new wagon, even if it was the most freezing dry day that Phoenix has seen this year! Yes, Phoenix does get cold sometimes. It was about 35 degrees with the wind chill. But they didn't mind. Every time we stopped, Landen would rock as if he was trying to make it go again. They had fun!

Blessings

Dear God,

I thank you every day for giving me two beautiful healthy boys with a man who is more than I could have ever asked for as a husband and a father. I pray that you watch over our family as we make milestones into the new year and the next phase of the boys lives as they reach their one year mark. With the big economic scare that everyone is in, as well as the new presidency taking over come the next year I pray that we can stay as comfortable as we can financially, and hopefully the possibility to purchase a home in the area we wish to raise our family.

I pray that you watch over my boys as they begin their new journey with a new babysitter. I pray that she works with them and provides the best care possible so i don't have to worry while at work. I ultimately wish there was a way I could just stay home and care for them and not have to worry about money, but I know you have a bigger plan for me and that I need to stay where I'm at for right now.

I have never been more blessed and am so thankful for the family I have. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

I want t plan a wedding

Yes, Chris and I are married, but for all you girls out there, a wedding is always part of the deal. It's been a part of your life line, your plan when you write it up as a little girl....you know, on top of get through college, get married (wedding), have kids.


So we did a few things backwards, had kids, got married, went back to school. Well, a WEDDING is still missing in the equation....

I need your help. I'm trying to plan out a "good day" so to speak, and I can't seem to put my finger on a "DATE" that I like. I was thinking we could do it on our same marriage day, March 14, but that seems to quick to try and plan a wedding, and we don't have the cash. Our "first date anniversary is Dec. 2, but that doesn't fall on a weekend.

SO, can you guys throw out a few dates that would make for a nice outdoor wedding in AZ? April, May, Nov or Dec? and days of course. Thanks for your help!

3 years and a wonderful life

The past 3 years have been wonder with my wife lauren. She is the most amazing wife, mother and few other things I shall not mention. She has been very supportive of my school and how much time it takes away from the family. Having twin boys in february and me in school, my wife is the greatest women alive and the most important person in my life. Thanks babe for being my best friend. I can not wait till this semester is over and I will have no distraction. Happy 3 year anniversary. I am so glad I get to spend the rest of my life with you.
Always loving you.

3 YEARS

Already Opening Gifts?

As many may already know, Chris won $500 to best buy this summer for winning the hottest dad's contest!

So, he decided to share it with the whole family by purchasing our very first flat screen. The boys were so excited to be able to open it with him!

Enjoy!

Observing surgery on a Jaguar

Yes, that's what I did today, and all on the clock mind you! Here are some pics!


This is our Director of Animal Management holding the dart gun in case the animal wakes up during the surgery! Now wouldn't all of you want him to protect your ass? I'm not sure I trust him either! Lucero may just snap him right in half! j/k I love ya DAN!

Gilbert vs. the Creek

O.k. I need some advice!

Chris and I had a great offer to move down to Gilbert into a rental home to be closer to work, school, and well, work and school. The house is beautiful....3,000 sq. ft. and is being offered to us for less than our current payment each month. The backyard is about an acre of grass, perfect for the boys and is in a cul-de-sac lot.

One of the biggest arguments Chris and I get into is about him getting off work right a 5 p.m. so he can get home to us at about 6 each night he doesn't have school. By moving closer, he would be able to spend more time with us while pursuing his career to become a nurse, and also save a little gas money and head ache from those long drives. So here is my list, let me know your thoughts:

PROS
closer to Chris' job
great family friendly home w/ yard and neighborhood
more room for a smaller price
saves gas money
backyard is much more relaxing and fun to play in than ours
no tile, just wood and carpet


CONS

I grew grew up in north Phoenix my whole life and it's been hard think of branching out of my comfort zone
away from grandma and grandpas house
moving in general is a pain in the neck
what if we find a house to buy? Then we'd have to move twice!
two story (air conditioning costs)
BIGGEST CON: the possibility of losing our nanny


SO, anyone who wants to help me figure this whole thing out, let me know!

The Strait's Go HOLY!

Hi everyone,

As many of you may know, Chris and I have a crazy schedule with work, school, and managing the boys. It's very easy to forget whats important and how to manage time for each other. We are a great team together but sometimes we forget about what it as like before the boys and how to make each other smile and laugh.

So recently we bought the relationship workbook by Dr. Phil and began scheduling time to do the exercises in the book. it has really opened our eyes on how each other feels about different things we manage in our lives, the reflection we feel about ourselves, and how we interpret each other. It has been a very eye opening experience.

Along with that, I had lunch with a friend last week who also recently had her first baby, and we began talking about the time challenges and keeping the fire alive so to speak when it comes to relationships with our husbands.

She had mentioned to me that they had been experiencing some of the same things Chris and I had, and suggested we go to church. She said when her and her husband began doing that, it reconnected them. But not only that, they have been making friends, and even had more things to talk about with one another, and really keeping the topic from church alive throughout the week.

Well, since then I have put the thought of church in the back of my head, not knowing how to even go about looking for one. Chris grew up Baptist, I went to Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic at one point, Christian, etc. ( i was never baptized but liked going to all kinds of churches) and so finding a church that would compliment both of us seemed overwhelming for me.

Well, today I was going through our weekly mail, sifting out the junk, making my usual shred piles, collecting the bills.... I stumbled upon a flyer that REALLY looked like an add to join a golf club or something, but something told me to flip it over, and it was a flyer for Christ's Church of the Valley in Scottsdale.

I was very curious and decided to check out their website. I immediately fell in love with the way they displayed themselves on the web, the modern worship services with a casual dress code. Talking about everyday issues, and even having extra curricular activities so Chris and I could join a kick ball team, engage in BBQ's, exercise classes, reasonable service times at 9:30 and 11:15,and even a day care center!

So I gave them a call and sure enough, the church is a non-denominational church and just seemed perfect for us.

Well, enough said! I guess it's God's way of calling to us! So guess what, our first family church experience is this Sunday!

It's o.k. not to be so happy all the time

More power to all the people out there that see the positive outlook on the world. Sometimes I want to vomit! Seriously, can't you just be angry if something goes wrong, or let us know that your spouse yelled at you for doing something stupid, or just tell us if your having a bad day instead of trying to hide behind a fake smile!


AHHHH! Life is absolutely insane right now raising the boys practically on my own with no help, on top of working 40+ hours a week trying to balance my job, my ex boss' job, and then some. I don't get any additional help from anyone, and I feel like everyone avoids me like the plague because I'm just full of baggage.

If only anyone else knew what it is like to have a husband who works 70 hours a week, goes to school two nights a week, studies on the weekends, on top of having two small children to raise, feed, clean up after, play with, smile with, and try to make them feel loved even though you don't feel so loving.

And nobody really knows what our marriage is like. I'm surprised we made it this far. I feel like I'm stuck because I'm not financially stable enough to do it on my own, so I have to stick around and try to deal with all the negative energy, tiredness and unwillingness to help maintain our home, boys, etc.

Just venting because I have nobody to talk to that really understands. I must be a bad wife and mother because my strength is diminishing my the minute and I don't know how much longer I'm going to last. But until then......

Having Fun Making Car Family Decals!

Get your own Family Sticker Maker & MySpace Layouts.

Having Fun Making Car Family Decals!

Get your own Family Sticker Maker & MySpace Layouts.

Making Plans with a Mother of Twins

Hey there,

This is a disclaimer to all of those who are friends with a mother of twins and what it takes to plan a night out.

A night out of the town with or without your twin children takes an enormous amount of planning, especially with a husband who works 70 hour work weeks and also attends school twice a week. Oh and did I mention he also has to study, which probably adds up to another 4 or 5 hours a week.

SO, as you can probably tell, I rarely get the chance to go out, so when I do, I have to plan probably a week out, making sure someone reliable can handle the boys, managing others schedules, etc.

Well, over the past few weeks, I ran into not only ONE, but TWO incidents where plans were canceled on me. To make those plans in the first place I first had to call and see if Chris could even put it on his calendar to come home at a descent hour. Then, I had to see if the babysitter could come later and stay later, then I went into work late so I could stay late, and then go out afterward.

So as you can see it's a process. So when you cancel on a mother of twins, you are not only affecting her, you affect her work, her baby sitter, her husband, and her children, not to mention her attitude change because now she has to go home when she could be going out on the town without the rest of the family tagging along.

BUT, what is most aggravating is when someone cancels on you when you plan on having your children with you! A mother of twins literally begins her day putting together all the things her children will need in order be satisfied wherever mom plans on taking them. Packing their bags, making sure they don't dirty up their clothes that were put on that morning, making sure that they get their nap. I EVEN had to WAKE them up and put them in the car and begin driving before I was canceled on, which made it worse because my kids need their nap and now didn't get it. If I would have known that they were going to cancel, I could have even slept during their nap, so I could recoup before my second half of the day began.

So you see folks, please don't make plans with a mother of twins unless you plan on sticking with them. Otherwise, you waste A LOT of her time, and others, and in the end, she ends up wasting even more time writing a blog about how pissed off she really was about the whole thing!

Good night!

Can YOU guess what the boys will be for halloween?

Chris and I bought the boys their first Halloween costumes tonight! Probably the CUTEST things you will ever see in your life....especially because there is TWO of them!

O.k. That's your first clue! Start guessing away!

Take me out to the ball game....

Well, after the boys third baseball game, mommy and daddy have it down when it comes to making them feel at ease in between the cheering and booing. Chris even got Owen to sleep! Family day was a success! I love all my boys!

Bath Time

So Chris and I were experimenting with the video camerawhile having BOTH boys in the tub at once all at the same time. A big step for us considering we only have two hands and with TWO babies, you can only imagine the limitations that are presented with all that slippery baby splashing around in the water! But, all in all, the boys had fun. You can watch the video below!

Life WIth TWINS!

We are the happiest parents in the world to be blessed with identical twin boys; Owen Christopher and Landen Blake Strait born February 8, 2008! During the pregnancy we kept our fingers crossed that our boys would make it, as we were diagnosed with Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome at 11 weeks. Through it all the boys pulled through and God brought life to two healthy little boys born at 33 and 1/2 weeks. Since then life has been crazy, but good crazy, and nobody will ever know how challenging AND rewarding it is to be a parent of multiples, unless you have them yourself. Our little family exceeds any expectations we had about making a family of our own.