10 minutes well spent

This video is LONG. But it's also pretty awesome.
You can see what it would be like if you lived at our house. Except there are a lot more tantrums that you guys got to see, because who wants that on video?

These are all from the last month. Enjoy!


Oh, and we have a giveaway winner! Erica, congrats! I already emailed you, but I wanted to mention it anyway. So if  you're sad that you didn't win, don't forget that you can still purchase any prints from Kensie Kate's Etsy Shop at 25% off, by entering the promo code CHRISTMAS25 at checkout.

And in case you didn't see it...
I make boring and awesome videos like the one above, but my husband makes amazing and professional videos like the one below. Check out his most recent (and very beautiful) video:

Color Fest

If you live in Utah (or even any of it's surrounding states) you've probably seen or been to the Holi Festival of Colors held at a local Hindu temple every spring.
This year's color fest was this last weekend, and Travis filmed it and has already edited it into an amazing film!
Check it out, if you were there, you might even see your face!



Travis was actually ziplining over the crowds of people. YIKES! I didn't see him do it, or I probably would have had a heart attack.  The boys and I only went for a short time, and not during a chalk throwing, and we only hung out up at the temple itself, not down in the mosh pit. You can even see my sister Mary holding Micah and me holding Grey at 0:14.

Utah is probably one of the only places that this could operate successfully, since the majority of the people who show up aren't drinking, smoking, or doing drugs (which can quickly turn something fun, into something manic).  Everyone was so polite to the boys and me, and NO ONE threw any powder at us while we were holding babies. I even heard several people yelling "Hold up, everyone stop! Here come some little kids!" when we passed.
It was really neat.

This picture of Micah and Travis (below) is my favorite picture of the day.
Man, I love those boys.

Click to vote?

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Yeah Samake

As you probably know, Travis was away traveling the world last month. One of the places that he visited was Mali, in Africa. He was there helping Yeah Samake with his campaign, running for president of Mali.
He made this video. Watch it.



We've had the unique opportunity to have our foot in the door with this campaign from the very start. Travis was able to meet and start working with Yeah several months ago when he was here in Utah. Our very talented friend Cole has completely branded Yeah's campaign and done all of the design work for Yeah and his entire party.
And Cole took all these pictures, which I stole and love. LOVE, I tell you.

And here are some instagrams, which were mostly taken by Travis, though a few were taken by Cole and Travis' business partner Joe.
Are you wondering where MY Team Samake shirt is? Yeah, me too.

Hopefully Yeah will be elected as the president of Mali in just a few months, and Travis will be traveling back to Mali for a few days...
And I may go with him.
Maybe...

Oh, and if you want to read a really interesting article on Yeah Samake {click HERE.}

Good Line

Did you know that I have a husband-man who is an amazing filmmaker?
Well, I do.
And he is.

His company is called Good Line, and this is A Look at Good Line. (Like unto a Reel, I think...)

A look at Good Line from Good Line on Vimeo.


Can you spot me? I'm in there at least twice!

5 up, 5 down

Being home alone with twins for most of the day can be tricky.
And no time is so tricky as naptime, especially since I don't like for my babies to "cry it out."
But if I'm rocking one baby to sleep, that leaves the other boy by himself...
I used to just put one baby in the swing while I put the other baby to sleep, and often by the time I came out for baby-two, he was already asleep!
Yay!
But the boys have recently learned that the swing is a game.
When they are awake and happy they sit in the swing, and rock back and forth and laugh and scream! And when they are tired, they are mad that we're putting them in the swing, instead of helping them go to sleep.
And they just scream. No laughing.
And I feel pretty guilty rocking one baby to sleep while the other baby screams.
So starting last week, I have a new system - and so far, it's awesome!

I swaddle both boys, and then I lie one baby in his bed. I kiss him. I say "Night-night, I love you" and I leave the room with his brother.
Brother and I rock quietly for exactly 5 minutes, and then I lie him in my bed (so he doesn't wake his brother) and I go get baby-one and rock him for 5 minutes and then switch again.
So far it's been awesome.
Since I lie the boys down after 5 minutes of rocking no matter what, (or I start to feel super guilty for the baby crying alone in his bed) they are being laid down in various stages of sleepiness and happiness.
Sometimes they are tired, droopy eyed and happy. Sometimes they are wide awake and screaming.
Sometimes they are dead-fish-limp asleep.
Usually they are in a state of calm, tired, and a bit whiney and they dissolve into tears shortly after I leave the room.
BUT five minutes is the perfect amount of time for them to cry. They cry enough that when I pick them up they calm quickly down because they're tired, but not so much that they have become frantic and hysterical and keep freaking out. And, it gives them the opportunity to try to calm themselves, and for the first time (pretty much ever) they've both put themselves to sleep! 
Just a few times.
But we call those times "baby steps."
The first time Grey did it, I called like 6 people to tell them.
And I baked a cake.
And I might have cried a little.
(But we all know how emotional I am.)
We started doing this on Wednesday.
On Friday night Grey slept 9 hours IN A ROW.
Then on Saturday we were bad, and we didn't make them nap in their beds. We let them nap in our arms and their carseats while we ran errands, and Saturday night was bad again. But I'm pretty sure that having a routine and being forced to sooth themselves (just a little bit) is the perfect solution to our nighttime troubles.

Although sometimes it results in my children being little stinkers, like in the videos below. But if they're happy, I'm happy.
Grey in the first video:


And since he wasn't crying, I let him lie in there for 15 minutes, happily chatting to himself and his mobile. (But then I went in to get him, to try to rock him to sleep- and remind him that he's supposed to be going to bed.)
Micah in this video:


Shortly after they decided that they love the swing.
I wouldn't mind them staying awake like this for a bit if I didn't have two babies, but when they're on different schedules it's hell for Travis and me.

And those of you who know my husband as the flawless, perfect angel that he usually is?
Just know, that when a baby is awake at 4am (and has been for the last hour) that's when Travis' pulls out his curse-words.
And I think it's awesome (and very funny).

Christmas in July

Merry Christmas in July!
Although, if my ability to count is in tact (which it may not be) we should celebrate second-Christmas in June, 6 months before and after actual-Christmas, I love Christmas in July.

Because {I love Christmas.}
I cannot wait to listen to carols until after Halloween (and don't see why I should), and usually bust out the "Christmas Playlist" on my itunes sometime in September.
And sometime in July.
And by sometime I mean today.

I would encourage you to watch a Christmas movie today, especially if you're somewhere hot.
Maybe watching that scene where George jumps into the icy river while it snows will cool you down a bit.
Plus, Christmas themes are relevant all year round! Kindness? Forgiveness? Belief in the unseen? Being able to change? Slowing down and relishing life?
CHRISTMAS!

So, if you don't have any Christmas movie plans I would suggest watching one of the following:
It's a Wonderful Life (which I will say, without hesitation, is my favorite movie of all time, and which I will watch today.)
Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!
Miracle on 34th Street (the b/w one is SO good.)
the Rudolf claymation
Elf
or The Santa Clause

And yes, I own all these and more! Christmas, Christmas, Hurrah!

iPhone pictures

I haven't been very good about posting iPhone pictures the last two weeks. So here are some:

And even better, here is a video. This video is the cutest thing I've ever seen. 

Seriously, ever. 

Have you ever heard a baby talking in his sleep? Well, now you can. You will love it.

Grey talking in his sleep from Becky Pitcher on Vimeo.

I love this picture, because when I laid them down on this blanket they were next to each other. Grey (left) managed to scoot in a circle until he was perpendicular to his brother, and Micah (right) somehow scooted forward like a foot. 

They're good little movers. And Grey is really working hard in this picture. 

 Top Row: Micah sucks on his brother's hand all day. For some reason he prefers it to his own hand, a pacifier, and anything else we try to give him.  And Micah doing tummy time. 

Bottom Row: We're trying to help the boys learn to grab. They've got holding down, but they just can't seem to reach out and take something they want. Here Grey is practicing grabbing. And the last picture: Grey on the right, Micah the left.

Yes, they're in disposables. I've had them in disposables more since the weather got hot. I don't know what to do! The cloth diapers are heavier and my babies get overheated really easily, so I feel bad putting them in cloth. Any advice from you cloth-diapering mamas would be appreciated!

Our favorite way to keep cool, though, is swimming! We love it! Grey is the baby smiling in the pic on the left.  Travis is the tall, handsome blond man in the other two pictures.

I'm the girl. 

Come on, guys.

 :)

And Grey in the top two pictures, Micah the bottom two. 

Dang! those babies have big blue eyes!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Sleeeeeep

Okay, the only thing worse than babies that are awake all night? Babies that sleep through the night, and a mom that is awake all night anyway.

Last night the babies went to sleep (finally!) at about 9:15. At about 1:45am I heard a baby cry, but I have been trying this thing where -unless they sound hysterical- I wait at least 5 minutes before going in and picking the babies up
By 1:50am whoever had been crying was back to sleep. Awesome!
But I was not back to sleep.
I dozed in and out of wakefulness for two hours (just waiting for them to wake up again), and then got up and wandered around -periodically hovering over the boys' cribs to be sure they were breathing.
At 4:15 Micah woke up (might have been my fault) and they ate, and were both back asleep by 4:45am!
Again, I was not.
This time, I laid in bed listening to those freaking birds chirping because they think it's morning time. I probably fell asleep around 5:30 or 6:00am.
My good babies slept until about 7:00am, when they started squeaking - and I dozed in and out listening to them coo and squawk for almost an hour before they started to sound angry and I got up to feed them.
Last night could have been awesome! I could have gotten 7 hours of sleep in a row!
Except that, of course, I didn't.
Grrrrrr.

Anyway. You know me, always wordy on Wednesday. I have too much to say.
But here's what I have to share: We have LOTS of shaky, mediocre videos recorded on the iPhones, so here is some of it.
All of it focusing around that magical thing: sleep.


Sleepy Boys from Becky Pitcher on Vimeo.
And because I pieced all these clips together, here's what's happening:

Clip 1 (begins at 0:00): Grey after eating. He fell asleep breastfeeding, but was trying oh! so hard to stay awake and play.
Clip 2 (begins at 0:37): Grey and Micah lying in their bed, NOT sleeping when they should have been. But at least they're happy. I think Grey looks like a cat watching a bird out the window.
Clip 3 (begins at 1:41): The babies sleeping in their bed. Dang. They are cute.
Clip 4 (begins at 2:12): Grey sleeping in the swing. If you listen close you can hear him hum-snoring. Mm-hum. Mm-hum. Mm-hum. He also talks in his sleep a little and it's SO cute.
Clip 5 (begins at 2:32): Micah NOT sleeping. Yes, I swaddle them and put them on their stomachs, but they can usually roll over without too much trouble, so I'm not too worried.

Being Losers

When I was a kid (and especially during high school and even a bit during college!) I had a few friends who were obsessed with doing everything well.
Being the best.
They got A+s in all their classes, and if a teacher so much as thought about giving them a B, they would go in to school and cry and then their parents would go in to school and yell at the teacher.
I saw parents yelling at their kids on the sidelines of soccer games and I saw lots of kids get so frustrated by missing a shot, losing by a point, or even winning a game (!!!) but not by the margins that they hoped that they resorted to crying, swearing or even violence.
These were the kids who got 32s on the ACTs and still went in to retake them.
And retake them again.
These were the kids who came to college with enough credits to skip their freshman year.
These were the kids who were total nervous wrecks the first time they took a college test (and I could never help but think -when I saw them crying over an 84% - "Serves you right, you big baby. Get used to to the big bad world.")

And I can't help but wonder, why can't we let our kids be losers?
Why is our culture so obsessed with winning, being the best, and having zero flaws?
We give out prizes for mediocrity, but we also give out prizes for losing - so we all feel like winners after all.

We even have kids' sporting events where they don't keep score, you know, so nobody loses.
But the thing is, we're all going to lose someday.
And I think it's a lesson that is best learned in childhood.

Check out this freaking adorable video. This is a culture where soccer is much bigger deal than here.
And yet these kids are working hard, having fun, learning, being good sports and good team members - despite being losers.

And notice the parents on the sidelines? They aren't switching their kids to different teams (winning teams) and they aren't yelling, lecturing, or flipping out at the coaches.


l'equip petit from el cangrejo on Vimeo.

Maybe it's just me, but I hope my kids are losers like these kids.
Because these kids are awesome.

missing Africa

This time last year Travis and I were in Kenya.
I can't even think of any words to accurately describe how amazing it was.
I hesitate even saying that we were there working with an organization, because I know I would picture a bunch of skinny blond americans passing out bowls of rice, or digging wells and feeling sad for the people and taking lots of pictures and then coming home "changed."
Not that there's anything wrong with that trip to Africa, but that wasn't our experience and I don't want you to picture that.
We were there working with an organization (Komaza), helping them to produce video to promote their work. Travis and I spent three weeks interviewing Kenyan farmers, playing in our backyard - the Indian ocean, and learning how to order lentils and goat meat in Swahili.
Seriously. Amazing.
We met and worked with amazing people from all over the world and are still friends with some of our Kenyan friends. (You can read about our Kenyan and Ugandan adventures on my old blog {here}. I posted several times while we were there, and it's pretty funny and interesting - if I do say so myself.)
Anyway. Here's some footage we took - just for our own records - while we were in Kenya.
We went to film some farmers in a small rural town. It was a family of maybe a dozen people, one of whom spoke English.
And the one man who spoke English left.
So we were in the middle of nowhere with people we couldn't talk to, and the adults seemed to decide that we were helpless and left us with their children while they went to farm.
Here is the result:


Children playing in Kenya from Becky Pitcher on Vimeo.


If you would like to read about our African adventures then here are some links. I might have gotten carried away here...

Here is a post about Ganze, which is the name of the town these children were filmed in.

Here is a post about how much we love Kenyans.

Here is a post about church in Kenya and also how I love to haggle.

Here is a post about being a mormon in Kenya.

Here is a post about how everything in bigger in Africa.

Here is a post about our first day and first impressions of Kenya.

Here is a picture-a-day post about our trip to Africa.

Here is a post about Uganda, which was a whole different experience than Kenya.

Here is a post about Travis' Kenyan nickname.

Here is a post about corruption in the police force.

Here is a post about how Travis is secretly a small African child.

Here is a post about my Kenyan name.

Here is a post about the African sun, and how it burned me to a sorry crisp.

Staying with Vegas

Lately people keep saying how great it is that I give so much of my time going to and from the hospital.
There's nothing else I can do.

I hear that once you have children your love for them just keep growing, and drives everything that you do.

Since I'm already feeling completely driven by the needs of my babies, I can only imagine how helpless to their needs I'll be in a few months or years.

Please enjoy this incredibly sweet and surprising video.
It may have made me cry a bit.
And by that I mean, it did make me cry a bit.



Staying With Vegas from Karl Brandstater on Vimeo.

Belly Dancing

Remember that post about how crazy active these babies are?
Well, sometimes they move so much that you can see my stomach bouncing and rolling.
Like last night.
Travis set the camera up for about ten minutes, and I sat and read a book while the babies did this:


Belly Dance from travispitcher on Vimeo.

And even though there's only a few seconds of movement out of ten whole minutes of recording, rest assured that they were moving the entire time, it just wasn't all as easy to see.
It was still pretty easy to feel.

Oh, and don't forget to check out the rest of our awesome home movies here, or by clicking the link on my sidebar -->

Give 1$ of your money

Over the summer Travis worked for an organization called The Tipping Bucket, and got to make some cool mini-docs for several very worthy projects.

Now that he's off with a real job and such (yay!) The Tipping Bucket still hires him to make docs for them on occasion.  The Tipping Bucket itself doesn't pay for things like the videos Travis makes. The people who are trying to raise money do, the Tipping Bucket just connects them to people like Travis and says "he'll make you a good video for a low cost."

Anyway, on Sunday we had this conversation:

Travis: I did something today. Something good and something bad. Which part should I tell you first?

Me: The bad, I guess.

Travis: I gypped us out of 300$.

Me: What! What did you buy?

Travis: I didn't buy anything.

Me: What did you break and have to pay for?

Travis: Nothing.

Me: Okay, obviously this is the good part, so tell me what you did that is good so I know where our money is.

Travis: I told the Tipping Bucket I'd do the project for free. So we're not getting paid for the video I made today.

Me: Why?

Travis: I was making the video and going through all our footage and I just remembered how much I love these people. I can't take 300 dollars from them. They need a well. The 300 dollars can go towards them building another well, or building a well faster. They live 6 miles from a well, Becky! Can you imagine how bad that sucks?

Me: You're such a good boy. That's okay that you're not getting paid. It didn't take you that long to put together anyway.

Travis: No. It took me like three hours. I can't let them pay me a hundred dollars an hour. People are more important than money.

Me: If everybody remembered that we wouldn't have a problem getting money for  a well.

Travis: So you're not mad?

Me: Meh, I might be except that you also have a full time job, and this was just a free afternoon of work. We're not really getting gypped out of anything. I'm proud of you. 

A few minutes later a woman called him in tears, thanking him for his kindness.
That seems like it was worth 300$, no?

This weekend he put this documentary together for them using some of our Africa footage.

Watch the video, and tell us what you think.

Or better yet, visit thetippingbucket.org and donate one dollar to help dig a well in Africa.

Movie Makers

Travis is a professional documentarian (my spell-check says that's not a real word, but it is!) so he makes beautiful, stimulating, interesting documentaries.

I am a professional nothing... photographer, student, homemaker I guess. So I make wonderfully goofy, and uninteresting (to those not involved) and personal documentaries.

His look like this:

Komaza- A Growing Organization from travispitcher on Vimeo.

And mine look like this:




And I love them both.
And tonight I am winning an award (of cash money too!) for a documentary I made for a class, which is not especially fantastic but which lots of people liked. You can view it here, if you're interested.

Last weekend in the Month of Fun

So it has come, and now it is (almost) gone.
The month of FUN was a good one, but we're hopefully on to colder and better things, like Christmas season.

Since this is the last time I will probably admit to it being fall (Christmas season is it's own season) please enjoy these pretty shots of fall around our yard.
As filmed on Wednesday by Travis:

Autumn from travispitcher on Vimeo.

And have a very happy Halloween!

Halloween Movies

As everyone knows the best part of a holiday is the slew of movies created about it (and the food, decorations, festivities, presents etc. All the best things.)
Christmas isn't Christmas without claymation reindeer and black and white films depicting people coming together while it snows furiously outside.
Neither is Halloween itself without not-very-spooky ghosts and very creepy, strangely-dressed families. In order to watch all of the Halloween movies I want to BEFORE Halloween, I must begin now and watch at least one... every single day. Sometimes two a day.

Maybe I won't make it to all of them, but here are my favorite Halloween-type movies, and if you're looking for something to do this week I would recommend watching one of these:

Hocus Pocus

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Halloween Town

Casper

The Addams Family

Beetlejuice

Young Frankenstein

The Witches I admit, I haven't seen this. I watched part of it as a child and was very scared. But now that I'm an adult I should be able to handle a movie they were showing on the Disney Channel. I want to see it.

It's the great pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

Ghost Busters

and, of course, any other "scary" movies you can think of like all Tim Burton movies, He loves me he loves me not, or The Birds
and anything dealing with witches and wizards, like Harry Potter, or even Bedknobs and Broomsticks (the main character of which, I am sad to say, is named Eglantine. Finally, a name Travis and I can agree on. We both HATE Eglantine.)

Maybe you notice that these movies are not really scary. Even 6th Sense and the Others were WAY too creepy for me. I prefer children's movies, thank you very much.
But any other suggestions are appreciated. I must help this list grow.

Yes sir, that's my baby.

I am helping throw a baby shower for my sister in law in a week and a half and spent today not paying attention at work or in class.
Instead I was trying to think of good words for a possible Baby Pictionary game.
But I have given this game up for two reasons:

1. I doubt a group of adult women really wants to play Baby Pictionary.

2. I thought of the words "Poopy diaper" and then "Baby Talk."
After thinking of the phrase "baby talk" the only other words that came to mind were "baby fish mouth" and "planet of the apes" and then I had to give up.

This is why:

Also, When Harry Met Sally is a very good fall-type movie, and one of my favorite Meg Ryan flicks, even more than Sleepless in Seattle.

Feeling a bit better

I am making an effort to go to all my classes.

So far I started my day off well by watching this: my favorite halloween movie as a child.

NieNie

Is NieNie's blog your favorite mommy-blog?
It is definately mine.

And so, I am very super duper thrilled and excited to announce:
Tonight I get to meet NieNie!



She is speaking at the Wilk on BYU campus tonight and my very awesome film maker husband (and I, his lowly sound equipment assistant) will be filming the event for BYU Women's Services!

Our meeting may be very brief. It may in fact consist only of me clipping a microphone to her shirt, telling her I love her, then feeling very awkard since we've never met, and then asking to take a picture with her despite the awkwardness already out there, and then smiling like we're best friends and giving her my phone number and begging her to call me if she ever needs someone to babysit those super cute kids of hers.

Or just those first few things.
But I really want a photo to hang on my wall... ahem. To have, but not hang up because only crazy people hang up pictures of people they barely know, right?


Anyway, join me and NieNie tonight for what will no doubt be a very inspirational and fun event at 7pm in the Wilk Ballroom.

Breakfast in the morning

Mmm, what a good baby daddy I have.

On Friday morning when I felt too sick to go to class, Travis woke up and fixed me homemade pancakes, sliced up some fresh strawberries and whipped cream for the perfect breakfast.

It was so pretty when I stumbled out of the room that I wanted to take some pictures, which turned into videos.

Four days later, Travis has made another pretty home movie.

Becky Breakfast In The Morning. from travispitcher on Vimeo.

Also, he wrote a song for the occasion.

Since I've been pregnant he's been playing the guitar a lot, every night while I try to fall asleep he sits in our bed playing loud songs that he's inserted my name into.

(Like "Becky roads, take me home to the place I belong, Becky-ginia, Mountain Mama, take me home, Becky roads."

It's nice to be married to such a goofy home movie maker.