Monday, January 29, 2018

Week of Doctor Appointments

Ezra on Blessing Day
On Monday morning, Maliyah went to dialysis.  Kendra had to go to the doctor because she had a UTI.  On Tuesday, we did schoolwork all day.  Our sweet nephew, Ezra, had to go to the doctor because he got pink eye.  Later that night, we hung out with our friend Anabelle.  After she left, we watched Ellen's Game of Games, which was hilarious.  We highly recommend it!
On Wednesday, Maliyah and our grandpa went to dialysis.  After, they went to McDonald's and got chicken nuggets with ice cream.  Later that night, we went to our church youth activity.  We played Telestrations, one of our favorites, and ate lots of cookies.
On Thursday, Maliyah got a cold, and it was mostly a lazy day for both of us.  On Friday, Maliyah went to dialysis and spent some of the day sleeping since she lost a lot of sleep because of her cold the night before.  Later that night, we both went to the store to get some things.  After that, Maliyah started to get some chest pain, so our mom took her to the doctor just before they closed.  Thankfully, nothing was wrong, but Maliyah did have a slight fever of 100.3.
Saturday was a lazy day.  Our friend Anabelle came over again and we hung out for a couple of hours.  Sunday was Ezra's baby blessing.  In our church, babies get blessed when they are around two months old.  After the blessing, we went to our house with friends and family and celebrated.
Look out for a unique exclusive video on Sunday (February 4th) instead of the video this Wednesday.
Thanks for reading,
Kendra & Maliyah
~The Herrin Twins~

Monday, January 22, 2018

Baby Giggles, Snow, and Pretransplant

Ezra started laughing this week!

Snow

Sorry the post is up so late!  It has been a busy week, with lots of snow!  The weather has finally been getting colder, and snow really piled up this weekend.

On Monday, Maliyah went to dialysis as usual in the morning.  Later that night, our friend Emma came over to hang out.  On Tuesday, Anabelle came over to hang out with us after we spent some time with our grandparents.
On Wednesday, Maliyah went to dialysis at 6:00 am in hopes of being back in time for our cousin's homecoming from her LDS mission.  Unfortunately, Maliyah didn't quite make it, but she did get to FaceTime while everyone else was at the airport!  After her arrival home, we went to our grandma's house and had brunch.  We listened to all of her fantastic adventures from her mission.
On Thursday, Maliyah had something called "pretransplant." She isn't getting a kidney yet-- it is just a procedure they do every year Maliyah is on dialysis.  Our cousins also came over to watch Ezra on Thursday while we were out of the house.
Friday, I did dialysis and had pretransplant again.  On Saturday, we filmed a collaboration video for Wednesday.  Sunday, we went to our cousins' homecoming talk in church.  Maliyah and Courtney stayed at our cousin's house after everyone went home and watched a movie.
Tell us what you want to hear about on our blog or see in our videos!
Have a great day,
Kendra & Maliyah
~The Herrin Twins~

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Chicken Crescent Roll Recipe

Happy Wednesday!
We are experiencing some technical difficulties uploading our weekly video, so we are doing a blog post as a temporary substitute.  We will attempt to have the video up within the next few days.
We have for you one of our favorite recipes, featured in our video for this week.  These Chicken Crescent Rolls are a hit in our family, and we both have the recipe memorized because of how often we make it!  We hope you enjoy and take some time to watch our cooking video once it's up!

Serves: 9
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:
4: Large Chicken Breasts
2: 8oz packages of Cream Cheese
2: Crescent Roll Tins
2: Cups Italian Bread Crumbs

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit
2. Place the chicken in a pressure cooker, and fill with water until chicken is fully submerged.
3. Once the pressure regulator cap on top of the cooker starts shaking, set a timer for 20 minutes.
4. After the chicken is finished, shred the chicken and mix in cream cheese.
5. Open the cans of crescent rolls and place a portion of chicken on the wide end of each roll and wrap it tightly.
6. Roll the crescents in bread crumbs.
7. Apply cooking spray to a baking sheet.
8. Place the rolls on the baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes

Comment below about any videos or blog posts you would like to see in the future!
Thanks for Reading,
Kendra & Maliyah
~The Herrin Twins~

Monday, January 15, 2018

Being Sick

Courtney with Ezra
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
Tuesday, we did our regular game night with Mimsi and Sharon, who have been out of the country for several weeks.  It was great to get back to our normal rhetoric.
Cookie Buttercream Frosted Cake
On Wednesday, Kendra made a cake with Swiss meringue cookie buttercream frosting.  That night, Maliyah went to our youth activity, where wooden model cars were being raced in the Pinewood Derby.
Friday after dialysis, Maliyah received a new antibiotic medication through her IV.  It made her sick, and kept her throwing up all day Saturday and into Sunday.  They switched to an oral medication instead of the IV from now on.
On Friday night, since Maliyah was sick, Kendra went to our friend Emma's house and watched movies with her.  We took all of our Christmas Decorations down on Saturday and then filmed Courtney's video for this upcoming Sunday.  Courtney also took a photoshoot with Ezra at our cousin's house.  Check out her channel here.
On Sunday, we took Ezra to church with us even though Courtney didn't come.  My mom always wants to hold Ezra!  She's a fantastic grandma.
We watched America's Funniest Home Videos Sunday night together.
Tonight, we went to a Utah Jazz Game in a suite.  At half time, they brought in a dessert cart with limitless possibilities!  It was truly delicious.
Kendra is recovering phenomenally well from her abdominal surgery a few weeks ago.  Thank you to everyone who kept her in your thoughts!
Stay tuned for a new video on our channel this Wednesday.  Comment below about videos you would like to see or what you want us to write about on our blog.
We look forward to hearing from you,
Kendra & Maliyah

Monday, January 8, 2018

Courtney's Story: 17 and Pregnant


Courtney with Ezra
Monday this week, it was New Years, so it was a lazy day for the most part after staying up so late.  Maliyah didn't go to dialysis until Tuesday because of the holiday.


Ezra after a bath
On Wednesday, Kendra and our Grandpa went with Maliyah to dialysis.  Afterwards, we went to a baking supplies store.  Maliyah almost passed out while we were there-- her face turned red and she felt very weak.  Dialysis sometimes makes patients feel this way.  When we got home, Kendra baked a gigantic Peanut Butter Cup.  Later that night, we went to our church youth activity (toting along the giant peanut butter cup as a treat) and played bingo.  We also posted our brand new channel trailer on YouTube.  On Thursday, we did school work and watched Ezra.  We took him on a walk through the neighborhood because he was fussy.
On Friday, Maliyah went to dialysis again.  Our parents went to a wedding reception in the afternoon.  Since they weren't home, Austin and his friend Hayden played the challenge game Wet Head outside in subfreezing temperatures!
Giant Peanut Butter Cup
On Saturday, we filmed Courtney's pregnancy video and edited it.  Like so many other girls, Courtney had an unplanned teen pregnancy.  She wants to help others in her difficult situation through it.  Click the link to watch her story and to hear a few details about how she handled her own life while preparing for a new baby.
On Sunday, we went to church.  That night, we played a Cover your Assets as a family.
This Wednesday, look for a new video on our channel.  Good luck on all your New Years' Resolutions!
Thanks for Reading,
Kendra & Maliyah
Maliyah with Ezra
Kendra with Ezra

Monday, January 1, 2018

Ringing in the New Year

Conjoined Twin Reunion 2017

Happy New Year!  Because today is a holiday, we will keep this post brief.  Thank you for all of your support throughout these last 12 months and long before that.  

The New Year is a perfect time to set new goals for yourself.  We have a few resolutions we want to share with you all:
Maliyah wants to more actively spread the word about organ donation, starting today.  As many of you may know, Maliyah is in need of a kidney.  Unfortunately, a person can only receive 2 kidney transplants, and Maliyah has already received one, so this kidney needs to be in truly perfect condition so her life can be long and fulfiflling.  Maliyah isn't the only one in need of an organ.   Whatever country you are from, think about donating a kidney to somebody who needs it.
Kendra wants to avoid any more surgeries this year, by staying healthy and active.  It's possible that this most recent abdominal reconstruction surgery could be the last one for a long time.
We hope your 2018 is a fantastic year!  Tell us about your favorite moments from 2017 and any goals you might have for this year in the comments below.
Until Next Week,
Kendra & Maliyah