"A" turns 12 (November 5th)

 It is very hard to believe that "A" is now 12 years old!! All of a sudden my life seems to be speeding up and I see my oldest kiddos growing up. "A" almost 2 years ago now went through a very tough surgery that I have been told is one of the 2 most painful surgeries there are. She was having a birth defect corrected. That surgery was very rough not only for her but for her mommy. I will NEVER forget when she was waking up from the surgery in EXTREME pain and scared about her breathing and helping her through that first night. Something I never want to relive but I wouldn't change it in the world that I could be there for her and remind her of her Heavenly Father's care. I know that experience is all part of her Heavenly Father's plan for her and her ministry for Him.

"A"is a very humble girl that never draws attention to her accomplishments. I am so thankful for her. She is truly a gem from above.

 R got her a speaker for her ipad from the $5 store and she loved that!

 Big brother G gave her a HUGE package of NERDS 

for which she was very happy with.

We got her leather teepee boots which are basically a moccasin.

"A" loves indian items. We also got her a necklace that says "radiant" and 

the place that sold it said that it was to remind people that all that look to Him (God)

will live radiantly. I thought that would be a great reminder.

She really enjoyed her birthday which basically was celebrated 3 days. Thursday of her birthday her Jr. High girls Bible study in the neighborhood celebrated with brownies and ice cream, Friday our family celebrated, Saturday Daddy took her out for a steak dinner. She loved it all!

Time in the Trees!!

For his 9th birthday R wanted to go to this adventure park to climb the obstacle course in the trees. We looked forward to doing this but on Saturday when we went little did we know how fun it really was!! WE HAD A BLAST!! It was so much fun and such a great time. It was an activity, it required problem solving, strength, some guts, and we encouraged each other through the courses! If we could have stayed longer we would have but our time came up mid afternoon.

R would ask me to be sure that before I stepped off the platforms to come down that my gear was all properly attatched before I would step off. I thought that was so sweet!

On the way home I told him what I thought of during the day. Going on the obstacle course during the day made me think of Christ. In life we get into scary situations but as life goes on and we see that as a Christian Christ is taking care of us through all life throws at us our faith grows and strengthens because we know God will not let us fall. The obstacle course when you first start is SOOOO scary but soon you realize that you are always clipped in and that holds you through all your falls. Your confidence rises to do the obstacles of the course knowing that you are clipped in to a line that always holds you. So it is if we are hooked in to Christ, he is our life line in whom we can trust through the greatest of challenges and we can attack those challenges head on and with confidence knowing He is there to catch us if we need it.

R came to read me some verses that he had found and read in the Bible. He really liked the first 24 verses of the chapter but one verse stuck out to him and reminded him of that analogy that I mentioned to him on Saturday. He said this verse reminded him of what I was talking to him about on Saturday. It was Psalm 37:24 (Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.) Like to see he is thinking when he reads. So thankful for my R. He is a kiddo filled with enthusiasm, ideas, strong opinions, and energy. I can't wait to see how God uses his life.

The Twins Birthday

The girls turned 2 in July! They have come a long way from birth at 2 lbs 10 ozs and 2 lbs 11ozs.

God has been good.

Grandma and Grandpa got them little stuffed animals which they have enjoyed especially B with her "Birdie". She loves that Big Bird!!

J's 3rd Birthday

 The pictures immediately above and below are not actually part of his birthday party but probably on the same day. J's birthday this year fell during the very busy time of us moving. Thankfully, Grandma and Grandpa J were here to help us throw a little celebration for him. They were in town to help us with our move and they were a TREMENDOUS blessing. Looking back I can't imagine what it would have been like without all their help!!!

I see I got no pictures of his birthday cake which I am not sure how that happened! Anyway, I had told J I would let him pick out his birthday cake but one day he was with Daddy and some of the other kids and I were where we could get one. I called and talked to him and in his growly voice that he so often uses he said "Cau, Cau pick cake." So Cau, Cau I think felt quite honored that he was bestowed the honour of picking out the birthday boys cake! The cake had white frosting but about 4 layers and each layer of the cake was a different color. It was beautiful!!

 The procession. No imagination in this house at all . . .

 We actually had quite the feast and it was very yummy!

Baked potatoe bar and hot dogs, etc.

 J absolutely LOVED LOVED his birthday balloon!!!

We threw his birthday party one night early and then on the morning of his actual birthday Grandma and Grandpa J took everyone out for IHOP. J was SOOOOOO excited to get funny face pancakes and the waitress was getting a kick out of his enthusiasm:-) He LOVED this!!!

Daddy/Daughter Birthday Date

Daddy and "A" enjoy going out for steak eating dates. Last night in celebration of her 11th birthday they went out for steak but as an added treat she also got octopus which she thought was just great. She was especially happy with the fact that she ate a suction cup off the octopus.:-/ They had a great time as usual!!

A's 11th Birthday

Our little girl is no longer little. It is amazing how time can go so fast!! "A" is a very sweet girl and a great big sister. She is tender hearted and loves the Lord. She loves truth and hates evil. People are drawn to her. When we go out none of us are suprised when kids just come walking up to her to talk. She seems to have on her face "I am kind and I love people."

This year has been a harder road for her. At the end of February she had a Nuss bar put in her chest and across it to repair a birth defect. We were told after word it is one of the two most painful surgeries there are and I am here to say it is no fun being with a loved one coming out of anesthesia from that surgery. No fun AT ALL. What a trooper she was and still continues to be. She does at times still get uncomfortable. She matured through that process and understands more about help from God in times of distress and need.

"A" enjoys playing the piano, playing with her American girl dolls, playing with her brothers, and roller blading. She wrote a wonderful book report this week that was fun and interesting to read. She really tries hard at improving in things.

"A" has wanted Josafina from American Girl for quite a while and she was THRILLED to get her.

Big C made "A" a very creative and cute card.

Daddy bought her a very beautiful ornament of the nativity in Germany.

Her Great Aunt O sent her a really cool Playmobil set that she

was also thrilled about. She also receive many other cool gifts one of which

I'll have to post about later.

R bought for his sister with HIS money a beautiful turtle necklace down by the beach

weeks ago knowing her birthday was coming up.

"A" with her two precious to her dolls and her birthday cake.

Necklace

Card from Big C.

Being silly with A's birthday balloons.

R's 8th Birthday

 "R" requested for his 8th Birthday dinner spaghetti and meatballs!

He REALLY enjoyed that!!

 He requested carrot cake for his birthday cake!

It looked yum yum good and I heard that it was very good!

He was excited that we bought the cake at Mommy's favorite grocery store:-) We took him the night before his birthday to Virginia Beach and went to Whole Foods to pick out his cake. I buy very little there because Whole Foods is a WHOLE LOT of money but it is fun to go look and get something special. They do a GREAT job marketing because you just want to eat when there!! We also got some cupcakes because there are some kiddos that don't care for carrot cake and R wants everyone to enjoy cake time.

R wanted G there for his birthday dinner but G's retreat bus got held up in DC traffic so we had dinner and then waited until he got home to open presents and have cake:-)

Big C spent A LOT of time on this card for R's birthday. They spent time talking about it too!!

A two-headed dragon from Grandma and Grandpa for his warrior toy figurines.

R talking to Grandpa J on the phone about his birthday.

A made a VERY SWEET card for R.

"A" also made "R" a little house for his stuffed "pet" turtle!!!

Babe with two of his 4 warriors.

R was OVER JOYED that we got him the Navy uniform he had seen and the exchange and loved. Above you can see him hugging it and he said I believe "i love it. just what I wanted." His birthday present was going deep sea fishing but his daddy felt so badly for him since he spent so much of the time sick and that he didn't complain that he wanted to get him a gift too. We were SOOO glad we did because he really was over joyed and that filled our hearts with joy. Babe and I were blessed watching R go through his birthday party. He was so happy and kind and grateful to everyone.

I was NOT including "A" in the warrior count but she went and got 

dressed for the occasion!:-) She was the only sister in a boy household for almost 10 years so these things come somewhat naturally to her.

R has really done some maturing this year. He has worked on his skills meeting people and worked on his character. I am really pleased to see how God is working in him.

End of Story: R HAD A GREAT BIRTHDAY AND 

WE ARE BLESSED TO HAVE HIM AS A SON.

A Year Of Grace . . . A Year Of Blessings . . . Time to Celebrate the Twins 1st Year!

Baby C and Baby B had their first birthday on July 17th. It seems strange to reach this mark. It really seems so much longer than a year ago. The girls are making great progress in their development. Baby C is all over the place crawling. She is still not cruising but does walk with a baby push toy walker. I have never seen that before that she doesn't cruise but will walk with a walker? At least she is making progress.

Baby B has just progressed by leaps and bounds since her spica cast. I am so pleased at how hard she has worked and where she is at. She also is crawling and starting recently to pull up to her knees (two Sundays ago to her feet). The doctor said she was at about a 9 month level. Not that that matters she has come SOOO far and doing tremendously.

I was remembering before the girls were born I would ask moms of twins for advice and I noticed they were hesitant and really didn't give details. I now know why:-) You just do what works for you and you troop through. The best advice I got was have a camera handy and take pictures because you won't remember it from being tired. I took a lot of pictures and so glad I did because it really is a blur. I do remember setting my phone alarm for every 2 hours at night and feeding them and changing them and pumping.  As the girls birthday rolled around I did look back and remember the night before they were born, etc. but the emotion of it did not take place until I was sorting clothes after moving into the house. As I sorted the teeny tiny clothing I really felt emotional. Seeing the clothes brought it back to me;-) Praise the Lord they are off oxygen and doing well. I also flashed back to earlier this year when "A" got out of her chest surgery and was in EXTREME pain. It has been quite a year to say the least.

I've learned more about myself in this last year than I ever have both the good and the stuff I need to improve on. Intense stress will bring a lot to light! I had more comments on my personality traits more this year than ever before too. In many ways I am a "take life seriously person" but I definitely have a take it as it comes side to me. As one Dr. said I "just roll with it." A lady the other day in a store was EXTREMELY shocked that all the kids were mine. She was surprised I wasn't frantic.  I've learned that that side of me that just rolls with it allows me to get through a lot and handle things. But on the flip side sometimes I let a little bit to much slide and I can drive other people that are planners and schedule people batty and cause them to be uncomfortable. I need to learn to while being myself to give a certain amount of structure when those type of people are around out of kindness. Also, I can learn from the efficient structure of others. My mom keeps me from sliding to much into my laid back side.:-)

I love my two girls sooo much. I can remember laying in bed not knowing if one or both of them would not make it through the pregnancy. I prayed and prayed they would both make it. I also remember early on in the pregnancy but after I found out it was twins that I wished it was the day I was delivering so it could all be done with. I had had an ultrasound and got a picture of one baby but weeks later I started bleeding and thought I was already in the process of miscarrying. I wrote down some verses to take with me to the ER thinking I would find out the baby was gone. The ultrasound technician was a serious lady and said she could not tell us the results of what she saw and that the Dr. was to do that. Babe and I tried to look at the screen and figure it out ourselves but it just looked weird. I had seen a lot of ultrasounds but this one was different but I didn't know why. Finally, the technician said "I want to share this moment with you." Huh? What moment? I thought she wasn't going to tell us anything? Then she told us there were 2 babies! We were SHOCKED. I was crying but Babe just sat there not understanding then I told him and he was SHOCKED. He was soooo shocked. He just kept going over and over it in his mind . . . what about a vehicle, etc. It was very cute.

I was hospitalized the week before the girls were born with preclampsia. I was SOO swollen. I actually lost about 30 or 40 pounds the first 4 or so weeks after delivery I had so much water weight. The girls were born at 30 weeks. Baby C was 2 lbs 11 ozs and Baby B was 2 lbs. 10 ozs. and they spent 7 1/2 weeks in the NICU. When they were delivered Baby C was silent but Baby B made a little kitten noise and the people in the operating room went "AWWW!" It was so sweet. My Dr told me later that the student in there was just thrilled she got to be in there for that delivery. They were at an excellent hospital and the care they received was super. The nurses were like friends. I could go on and on because their story is long but God is good. I adore my girls. I am grateful to God I was able to meet them and love them.

The older kids also have memories of going to the NICU. It is fun to hear their accounts of their memories. I almost always brought one or two of the other kids with me to come see the girls and I would rotate through them. It was a good experience to see how a NICU works and what their sisters were going through.

The picture at the top was taken at the Cheesecake Factory on their birthday. We had a great time there as a family. Even the twins were enjoying themselves! The pictures below were taken the day after their birthday but it is them eating their birthday cupcakes! We had a great celebration both times! Two parties are better than one!!

The second party was outside on our back deck. Great place to get messy!