HELP!

 We have been so blessed to have visits from family, who have so generously donated their love & and time to help us out after the birth of Ben and Sam.  It was wonderful to spend time with a handful of our loved ones, and we sure could not have survived those early weeks without their help.
My brother Kelly drove from Bethlehem, PA with only a moments notice to our house the night before I delivered so he could watch the older three boys for us while we were at the hospital.  Well, we ended up needing him at the hospital because Josh was not feeling well, and had to visit the ER while I was laboring.   Luckily, we have wonderful neighbors and friends who offered to be "on call,"so we took them up on  their offer to cover the big boys while Kelly took care of Josh and I at the hospital!  Kelly wore many hats that day, and was so flexible in order to help in any way we needed.
My sister Chrissy also dropped everything to drive 11 hours with her two daughters to take over caring for the big boys while we were at the hospital, as well as the rest of us when we got home from the hospital.  The big boys loved spending time with their cousins, while we adults were busy with those first few days of transition- and it really took all three of us.  Chrissy and her girls worked so hard while they were here.  I can't even begin to list all of the things they did for us, but I will mention that both times she has visited, she washed bunk bed sheets for me!  Everyone knows that making bunk beds up is not a fun task, and I didn't even ask her to do it, she just did it knowing that I wouldn't be able to.  Long after she and her girls were gone, we still felt the benefits of their visit from all of the frozen meals and snacks she had made and left behind.
Chrissy's girls with the babies:

Then, Josh's parents drove from Nebraska to help out.  Unfortunately for them, they showed up just in time to have the added burden of taking care of us while we took turns with the stomach bug, and then they got it.  They definitely had the messiest job of all, but they managed to keep smiles on their faces, and enjoy spending time with us (and vice-versa, of course).  One morning when Grandma was sick, Henry requested eggs for breakfast, and she made them for him.  Feeling as icky as that bug made us feel, and knowing how stinky eggs are, I would have said no, but she made them in spite of her condition.  Those are the kinds of things that make Grandmas special.  I think the boys' favorite memory from their visit is getting to play with Grandma's iPad, and beating their grandparents at the game of Sorry.  Due to illness and my isolation with the babies (trying to keep us well), I didn't get many photos of their visit.

Grandma and Henry playing Duck Hunt on the wii

Next up was my Dad and Linda's visit.  Linda logged many hours in the kitchen making delicious meals, as well as many hours cleaning, doing laundry, holding babies, playing with the big boys, and allowing us to get to know her.  We all just loved her, and we feel so blessed to have her in the family.  Dad kept the boys busy with a daily bucking bronco rides at the "O-K corral", exercise classes- the boys called this "gymnastics", and hours of basketball and baseball practice.

The wrestling match
I am happy to report that there was only one incident involving blood!

"Gymnastics"  warming up

The last day that Dad and Linda were here, they cleaned the entire house!  My boys LOVE to help, so Dad taught the boys how to clean a toilet.  I was invited to inspect their work, and they did a fine job!  Dad made the boys "Toilet Cleaning Union Cards" to prove their certification of this task.  The boys thought this was the coolest, and they are (still to this day) so proud of their accomplishment in acquiring this new skill.  Anytime they see me with any sort of cleaning item, they run to get their cards, so they can help me...it is pretty darn cute.

Finally, my sister Shannon came and spent Easter week with us.  She was the brave soul who took us all on solo!  Not many would attempt this, but she did it well, actually, amazingly well.  I loved spending time with my sister, and the boys loved doing activities with her.  We all loved her cooking, and I loved her cleaning and sewing as well!  She is the master of multi-tasking.  I am so bummed that I did not take a single picture during her visit- ARRG!

We are so grateful to all of our help as well as their families who shared them with us.  It was so nice to have such a long period of time that we didn't have to worry about cooking, cleaning or running errands, so we had the chance to recover, catch up on sleep and bond with our beautiful new babies.
THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH!