So nice to relax on the couch this evening and know that we have a couple of days ahead that Jamie will get to be with us all and enjoy some family time!
Today was full of steady errands. The sweet babies all enjoyed a nice warm bath and good nap this morning before scooting around town. We arrived at Shane' s school to be welcomed by many large eyes as the double mountain buggy stroller and baby carrier paraded through the doorway! Shane is so precious and had explained that before our conference that he should meet me at the door to assist! He's so thoughtful and didn't mind pushing the stroller through the highschool halls. Not many 16yr old boys have that heart! Our world is definitely quite different from those of others in his phase of life! ;) So glad he loves these little ones! I was so proud when he approached me the other day and mentioned that he was interested in starting a non profit group to help those in need ( he spoke specifically about those with special needs, even Down's) It was precious to see him step further into this beautiful world that Abigail has introduced to us! Just to see a larger vision emerge in him to intertwine with his incredible thoughtfulness and rare heart. I love that boy beyond words!! By the time we left, there were several people who had gathered around us chatting and asking questions due to what I call the "shock and awe" effect we tend to create. ha ha!
We continued to run around and finally get back in the afternoon in time for their second nap! A rather uneventful day but always exciting with this many! We enjoyed wrapping the evening up with two little ones dancing on their stage ( the fireplace hearth) in a rather cute sway and bounce. Cade left the stage at one point to which Annabelle called him back and pointed next to her. He returned as a good brother would! Their little personalities are peeking out even more! It's such fun to watch! I had put Abigail on our bed earlier today while I was on the phone sitting next to her! Shane had rescued Annabelle from her nap and she climbed up on the bed and lay her little head on Abigail's tummy. Abigail found this rather funny and giggled at her! This went on for some time with Annabelle picking her head up to watch the baby laugh and then putting it down to make more giggles come! It was the first time that Abigail responded with so much enthusiasm. Usually its just with a smile or coo! It clearly tickled them both! My precious girls!
Abigail did have a great appointment with the opthamologist the other day! He said everything looked perfect. No issues! He doesn't even believe that she will need glasses at a young age. That was nice but of course we were so relieved that there were no cataracts, glaucoma, or issues with the function or structure of the eye! It's truly amazing all the testing these little angels undergo with the Down's diagnosis. I am learning that my heart feels the struggle of all children we know with Down's and their parents, even though Abigail may not share the same struggles in certain health areas so far. This common thread among families, mothers, fathers, grandparents, friends, of those whose lives are impacted by someone who has Down's Syndrome is very strange and hard to confine to words. There is such a bond, yet an awareness that our loved ones have many similarities as well as many differences..and what a celebration all of those are!
Abigial just melted me again tonight (she does on almost a daily basis) as she has developed some precious routines. I have trained all my other babies to be placed in their beds at a designated bedtime, after teethbrushing, praying, favorite lullaby cd, etc. They all have thrived on it. However, with my sweet Abigail, I have preferred to hold her close and let her play with my hair until she falls asleep..which only takes a few minutes! The way she does it is priceless. She starts up high on my hair and gets strands between every finger. She then slowly and gently pulls her fingers down through my long hair, eases her fingers out at the bottom, and then starts up high again. It's all so gentle and for lack of a better description, "very controlled". Sometimes she will stop at the ends and pull it close on her cheek to rub around. Oh my, I may never cut my hair. We first noticed this start with her Aunt Sylvia during a visit, but I didn't realize how it would develop. It's amazingly nurturing to me! Wow, I thought I was supposed to be comforting to her! ;) I guess it's just a small part of the many surprises the Lord sends me through her! Such a simple thing...that reaches to my soul! :)
Yesterday was a one of those "smiling but tired" days! Jamie felt it too. I knew he was feeling it too because as we tucked the twins in for bed, he started his bedtime prayer with , "Dear Lord, we thank you for this food. Bless his heart, he stopped, and looked up at me with a strained smile, and exclaimed, "I'm so tired". we got a good little snicker and I do believe he was in bed pretty soon after. Some days are just like that! ;)
There are so many other funny stories but now I am very tired as it's gotten late. lol! I will try to get more of them into the blog in the next few days.
Love to all!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Snowpocolypse 2011!
My goodness...We can't recall a time when we had snow on the ground for such a long time in Atlanta! It's finally almost all gone now, but since my last post, there has been up to 5 inches around our house! It was especially fun in the beginning! Such beauty and that quiet stillness during that first night as the soft snow came down! The silence was broken fairly early the next day by all the children's squeals and laughter as they hurled snowballs and tried to steer their little sleds down the hills as best they could ( remember, these are precious Southern children..sledding is not a common past time) :). Unfortunately on the first day, little Hadley drove her sled right in to a mailbox after navigating our hill. She was alright, thank goodness! The twins (and mommy and daddy) were right out there sledding with them all! Such fun. Jamie actually went around knocking on doors gathering all the kids and parents so that we could enjoy eachother's company just as we had during the spring and summer evenings on Waldenbrooke Ct. It was a wonderful time! All the kids were on alert to hear about each following day's continued cold temperatures and that breath holding moment when the news reporters would get to the C's in their alphabetical listing of school closings! Cobb County was out from Monday to Friday! Then of course the following Monday was MLK day so even an extra day off! There was the daily ritual of sledding down our hill and the Edward's, as those are pretty much the only ones in the neighborhood! This snow storm brought ice on top of the snow so the sledding was a bit more dangerous. Cade wiped out and scratched his little face up pretty badly! Finally we all opted to sled on the road instead as the hills were just too fast!. Each morning, I would hear this little knock and by the time I could get to the foyer I would see at least 4-5 children with big smiles bursting to ask to borrow our sleds and hill! We loved it! The twins could only stay out a little while, and when they went in for a nap, Daddy and Shane would join the other bigger kids and played so hard that you couldn't distinquish the difference between them! One young lady ( whose father is quite the outdoor enthusiast) came zooming down the road on her fourwheeler pulling a huge inflatable that would normally be pulled behind a boat! Upon realizing that she was having a hard time pulling the kids on it, she disappeared, only to return on a bigger fourwheeler! ha ha! the children loved it! Sweet days when no one could go anywhere, but just all be together! I think we kept a continual fire everyday, and wore out the chile recipes and brownie mix! All the neighborhood ladies are so good about sharing groceries when one is out of something! I think we all owed eachother something (not that anyone ever expects anything in return) by the time the snow was gone! I saw eggs and milk swapping hands on the street! What a sweet place to live! I must say that after the week, we were all a bit ready to explore a little farther than the neighborhood! ( not even any mail to retrieve for the week) It was a bit humorous to observe human nature. The men ( all of us actually) had a great need to be productive after so many days of sluffing off the schedule and work, so at the same time, they all started shoveling the driveways! The same father, Jerry, who is the outdoor guru, brought out his bobcat and cleared his driveway, then the street, then the entrance..the children still seemed to plead, "please, no", but it was time! We were all relieved as most the neighborhoods around had terrible streets through the weekend. The whole storm has been dubbed "Snowpocolypse 2011". Quite an adventure! I can't believe it was the twins' 5th time seeing snow in their little lifetimes ( although one time was while we were in Scottish Rite with Cade and there was no opportunity to play).
Shane was extrememely happy to get back to school yesterday! Since he had been out half the week before the storm due to the flu, he had endured about as much home time as anyone could take!;) Although he never complained, I could just tell! I do remember what it was like to be a teenager and be cut off from friends and the social life. LOL! At least this generation has facebook and cell phones! It was really different all those years ago when I was his age! He is staying after school for football conditioning every day and has that pained look upon entering the door from all the soreness! He's such a wonderful young man! I'm so glad he always has time for hugs and mom's affection. Last night I went up[ to do my final covering up of the babies and he had already beat me to it. So sweet!
Darby finally was able to get on a flight back from UNC, where she had been visiting Jared! I didn't think she was going to make it back for some time! She got to play in the residual snow with the twins for a bit! She had never been home during any of the previous snows to enjoy the sledding or events with them! So good to have her around! We're trying to prepare our hearts to say goodbye to her on February 3rd as she heads off to Argentina and Peru for her study abroad! Goodness, how we will miss her! Thank goodness for skype! She got her typhoid and yellow fever vaccines yesterday! Another trip to the dentist and I think we'll be close to wrapping up the to do list!
The little ones have been active and seem as ready to get out as all of us! We went for a ride on Sunday and decided to go by the park. Even though it was cold, there were a ton of people there, attempting to cure their families of cabin fever :) Annabelle cried as we left! We promised we would come back soon! The rain now has moved in yesterday and today..hard to get a break with this weather. I do believe the Lord must be intending that all families work through any conflicts by spending time together. ha ha!
Annabelle's playtime is evolving and its a great gift to watch! She has started really playing with her baby dolls, not just loving on them! ( Jamie was afraid she might be making them fuss at eachother, Lord help us, we do "love loud" every now and then :) ha ha! On the contrary, she has been putting them in her little toy highchair (that Darby used for her dolls from her childhood) and in the stroller to push around the house! It is fun to see her interact with them. She holds them and sways as if she's trying to calm them, as I do Abigail. I love it! She also throroughly enjoys her chips and salsa still. We were so excited to use a Christmas gift card to the Mexican restaurant the other night and she kept saying "chips and sasa" as we were getting into the car to go. She could make a meal out of it! I still can't handle how spicy it is! Cade likes to go there for the balloons and teddy grahams! ha ha! Sweet times!
Annabelle will also now proudly tell you that she is "dada's girl". Oh my, Mother's just have to clean up the boo boo's I guess! Daddy's are everything else to their baby girls! However, we did have another slight show down between her and her dada! He was telling her it was time to take a nap the other day and she hesitated. She was having a simply wonderful time playing with her doodle pro ( like a the old etch-a- sketches) and didn't see the need to be interrupted! He called to her a couple of more times and when she realized that he wasn't going to give up, she very slowly tucked the pen back into its holder, cleared the screen, and tucked the toy away...as if to say, alright, now I am ready, therefore its okay! Again, Jamie couldn't help but smirk through the stern expression he was trying to give her! Sheez!
Cade has been a lot of fun! He keeps sneaking into areas where he knows he's not supposed to be. Someone inevitably leaves the study gate open and he's in there trying to crash the hard drive, or at least email the girl down the street ( just kidding, there will be no emailing any girl down the street, unless its to see when mommy's order of girl scout cookies will be in ;)! Annabelle came and tattled on him for the first time..she told me ," Cade bafnvejfnhow" I asked again, what? and got something similar...I finally figured out she was telling me he was in the bathroom and about to turn the sink on full blast while standing on his tippy toes and stool! Well at least I'll have another pair of eyes on him, unless she's teaming up with him! He was just precious last night at dinner..for whatever reason he acted like he wasn't hungry when we all were seated at the table. he got a bit fussy, so we put him down out of his booster seat and told him there would be no other food that night! After we prayed and he had meandered in the den for a couple of minutes, he returned, no doubt led by his little tummy, and we put him back in the seat. He saw us all eating and got upset. He put his hands together and wanted everyone to pray. He thought we had skipped that part and wanted it corrected! We had to pray again to make him happy and went on with dinner! Such a silly little one! He still has a terrible habit of standing right in front of the tv. It's a 52inch, so its not like he can't see it..In fact, I don't think he can from that close of a range. We keep telling him to back up ( sounding like our parents ), but it happens again everyday. Oh my! Well, we'll keep working on some of these things! :)
Little Abigail is my sunshine! She enjoys being sung to and of course, being held still! She can pull the biggest smile out and smack you with it at any time! What a blessing as it has changed the course of my day many times! She is sitting so well and playing with her toys! The physical therapist told me that I just don't know how phenomenal it is for her to be doing all that she is at this point! I'm so proud for her! We have another opthamologist appointment for her tomorrow! I expect it will go well! We see the ENT again on Feb 2nd! I'm sure it will be time to prepare for tubes in her little ears, but at least that will be her first surgery. ( amazing for a baby with Down's). She has started giggling more when I blow on her neck and snuggle into it! It's so cute! She is pure joy! I could just breathe her in constantly! I don't know how we got so lucky to have her!
Well, nap time is almost over, so I think I'll have a quick cup of coffee and start working on clean up and dinner! Love to all!
Shane was extrememely happy to get back to school yesterday! Since he had been out half the week before the storm due to the flu, he had endured about as much home time as anyone could take!;) Although he never complained, I could just tell! I do remember what it was like to be a teenager and be cut off from friends and the social life. LOL! At least this generation has facebook and cell phones! It was really different all those years ago when I was his age! He is staying after school for football conditioning every day and has that pained look upon entering the door from all the soreness! He's such a wonderful young man! I'm so glad he always has time for hugs and mom's affection. Last night I went up[ to do my final covering up of the babies and he had already beat me to it. So sweet!
Darby finally was able to get on a flight back from UNC, where she had been visiting Jared! I didn't think she was going to make it back for some time! She got to play in the residual snow with the twins for a bit! She had never been home during any of the previous snows to enjoy the sledding or events with them! So good to have her around! We're trying to prepare our hearts to say goodbye to her on February 3rd as she heads off to Argentina and Peru for her study abroad! Goodness, how we will miss her! Thank goodness for skype! She got her typhoid and yellow fever vaccines yesterday! Another trip to the dentist and I think we'll be close to wrapping up the to do list!
The little ones have been active and seem as ready to get out as all of us! We went for a ride on Sunday and decided to go by the park. Even though it was cold, there were a ton of people there, attempting to cure their families of cabin fever :) Annabelle cried as we left! We promised we would come back soon! The rain now has moved in yesterday and today..hard to get a break with this weather. I do believe the Lord must be intending that all families work through any conflicts by spending time together. ha ha!
Annabelle's playtime is evolving and its a great gift to watch! She has started really playing with her baby dolls, not just loving on them! ( Jamie was afraid she might be making them fuss at eachother, Lord help us, we do "love loud" every now and then :) ha ha! On the contrary, she has been putting them in her little toy highchair (that Darby used for her dolls from her childhood) and in the stroller to push around the house! It is fun to see her interact with them. She holds them and sways as if she's trying to calm them, as I do Abigail. I love it! She also throroughly enjoys her chips and salsa still. We were so excited to use a Christmas gift card to the Mexican restaurant the other night and she kept saying "chips and sasa" as we were getting into the car to go. She could make a meal out of it! I still can't handle how spicy it is! Cade likes to go there for the balloons and teddy grahams! ha ha! Sweet times!
Annabelle will also now proudly tell you that she is "dada's girl". Oh my, Mother's just have to clean up the boo boo's I guess! Daddy's are everything else to their baby girls! However, we did have another slight show down between her and her dada! He was telling her it was time to take a nap the other day and she hesitated. She was having a simply wonderful time playing with her doodle pro ( like a the old etch-a- sketches) and didn't see the need to be interrupted! He called to her a couple of more times and when she realized that he wasn't going to give up, she very slowly tucked the pen back into its holder, cleared the screen, and tucked the toy away...as if to say, alright, now I am ready, therefore its okay! Again, Jamie couldn't help but smirk through the stern expression he was trying to give her! Sheez!
Cade has been a lot of fun! He keeps sneaking into areas where he knows he's not supposed to be. Someone inevitably leaves the study gate open and he's in there trying to crash the hard drive, or at least email the girl down the street ( just kidding, there will be no emailing any girl down the street, unless its to see when mommy's order of girl scout cookies will be in ;)! Annabelle came and tattled on him for the first time..she told me ," Cade bafnvejfnhow" I asked again, what? and got something similar...I finally figured out she was telling me he was in the bathroom and about to turn the sink on full blast while standing on his tippy toes and stool! Well at least I'll have another pair of eyes on him, unless she's teaming up with him! He was just precious last night at dinner..for whatever reason he acted like he wasn't hungry when we all were seated at the table. he got a bit fussy, so we put him down out of his booster seat and told him there would be no other food that night! After we prayed and he had meandered in the den for a couple of minutes, he returned, no doubt led by his little tummy, and we put him back in the seat. He saw us all eating and got upset. He put his hands together and wanted everyone to pray. He thought we had skipped that part and wanted it corrected! We had to pray again to make him happy and went on with dinner! Such a silly little one! He still has a terrible habit of standing right in front of the tv. It's a 52inch, so its not like he can't see it..In fact, I don't think he can from that close of a range. We keep telling him to back up ( sounding like our parents ), but it happens again everyday. Oh my! Well, we'll keep working on some of these things! :)
Little Abigail is my sunshine! She enjoys being sung to and of course, being held still! She can pull the biggest smile out and smack you with it at any time! What a blessing as it has changed the course of my day many times! She is sitting so well and playing with her toys! The physical therapist told me that I just don't know how phenomenal it is for her to be doing all that she is at this point! I'm so proud for her! We have another opthamologist appointment for her tomorrow! I expect it will go well! We see the ENT again on Feb 2nd! I'm sure it will be time to prepare for tubes in her little ears, but at least that will be her first surgery. ( amazing for a baby with Down's). She has started giggling more when I blow on her neck and snuggle into it! It's so cute! She is pure joy! I could just breathe her in constantly! I don't know how we got so lucky to have her!
Well, nap time is almost over, so I think I'll have a quick cup of coffee and start working on clean up and dinner! Love to all!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Again, the bustle of all the holidays has kept me from posting! It has been a precious time that I'm so grateful for! We continued to enjoy lots of family time as Christmas drew closer. We decided to take the children down to see the Lights of Life display at Life University. They so enjoyed it although it was bitter cold and windy. We rolled the windows down and heard constant oohs and ahhs and "prippy" (aka pretty) from Annabelle and "more more" from Cade! We got so tickled..it was a great present to us to remember how exciting the beautiful lights are to children seeing them for the first time.
We enjoyed so many things about the season. It was quite an event to take the children to the Christmas Eve Candlelight service at church. As I've mentioned before, we've had such strict doctor's orders to keep Cade out of the nursery, so the bigger and more crowded the services, the harder it is to go and keep 22 mth twins and a baby from getting too excited. Its so hard to express how grateful we are for all we have been blessed with!
I know I will remember so much later that I should've included, so it may take a few entries to get it all down. :) We had a very quick but great visit with Harvey and Barbara on Christmas Eve before the church service. They are so precious to us! Barbara seems to find the perfect things for the children (and everyone). She started the twins book collection before they were ever born and continued to add to it this year! She is amazingly thoughtful- so is Harvey! ;) She showed the babies all her "special decorations" that sang and danced and lit up! I was on hand patrol as each one was more magnificent to each of them! She tenderly taught them how to press little buttons and make things work. They amaze me how they've adapted as our world became quite busy and have welcomed these three little ones! It was so good to see them!
Christmas Day was so sweet! We had all the children here (all 5) and just enjoyed our time together. The twins were so excited but a bit overwhelmed as to why they should discard the first present and then move to the next. So we realized it would be better to open gifts in phases. 1 or 2 at first, then after a few hours, another couple, etc. It seemed to help. Their favorite items from Santa were: Annabelle- a rocking horse that neighs and makes sounds- of course, she loves horses! and Cade: a huge tonka firetruck that doesn't light up or anything..its the classic old fashioned one- he was so excited. They didn't open those until late in the afternoon. Abigail just seemed to love the lights and interaction with everyone! We had yummy cinnamon rolls for breakfast and a crock pot roast with potatoes and carrots to eat throughout the day! Of course there was birthday cake for dessert! ( Jesus and I, you know) I mean that in the most reverent way, I'm truly humbled to be born on a day that historically such amazing love and sacrifice was expressed! It was just low key and relaxing! As if the day had not been wonderful enough, we got an extra present in the form of the first White Chrtistmas in Atlanta since the 1880's. How beautifully fitting that it was Abigail's first Christmas and first snow! We borrowed our sweet neighbors' sled and had a terrific afternoon in the heavy snow! The twins were about to drop but kept wanting to go "again"! We let them unwind in a nice warm bath when it was over!
We headed out to Florida the day after Christmas to visit our family down there! Ma Carrie is unchanging and steadfast in her sweet spirit and open arms that feel just the way they did the last time they embraced you and sent you home- along with that walking, hand on you, praying over your safe travel that she does while you're making your way to the door to leave! Oh, how I can't wait to get to her house every time we go! It's not that its magnificent by the world's standards, although it's very nice, it's just that it's so filled with her love and rich memories and family! Her kitchen walls, her refigerator, and her hallways are filled ( I'm not kidding, with family 8X10 pictures from all the years: weddings ( of those still married and those not- whom she would sweetly host in a minute), senior portraits, familt portraits,- back to her own parents and siblings. ) - My kinda girl!!!! She wouldn't dare want anyone to not be displayed there! She prays over us all continually! What a tremendous comfort, because if God ever heard anyone's prayers, it's Ma Carrie's ;) Little joke, So grateful He hears all of us ;), but she lives out His mercy and grace daily and encourages those around her as they walk this life! She's someone you can't imagine not having encountered! Make no mistake, the woman has more internal and external strength than anyone you'd ever meet! (nevermind that she's about to be 93 in Feb)! I think I've mentioned her before in my blogs, but I could just go on and on about her! I do so hope to keep a spirit like hers, along with her since of humor, though my life!
Anyway, it was such fun to see Daddy ( Jamie's) and Sue Sue and of course Sylvia and and Kevin and everyone! I unfortunately started feeling a bit congested the second day we were there! Little did I know where that would lead! The twins remembered everyone and warmed up quickly! Jamie's mom and Aunt Betty and Aunt Linda came over and had a nice visit with the twins too! Lots of good visiting and yummy food - always at Ma Carrie's! A week of that and I brought home a few extra pounds! ;( but it was worth it! As Thursday night approached, one by one, I was up rocking feverish babies. Thank goodness Jamie's Daddy was able to get to the store and get us some Children's ibuprofen when we thought there was a chance they might be getting sick.. In a small town the stores still close early. Not a Walmart close by! LOL! I love it for that reason! Anyway, it was a wonderful time despite the sickness! Friday morning we pulled out quickly and headed back to the ATL! We made record time coming home and unloaded only to reload in 15 minutes ot head to Children's @ Scottish Rite! Annabelle had a 104.2 fever and Cade and Abigail weren't far behind around her with 102. Lots of tests and a chest xray for Cade all to result in the flu for all and an ear infection for Abigail! I never had a fever but had bronchitis so that was 4 of us down! By Saturday, Jamie started feeling sick and by Wednesday, I had all babies and Shane back at the doctor. Flu still for everyone..so 6 of us down. Darby attended the huge Passion conference in Atlanta the 4 days after we got home and is in NC now or would be sick I'm sure! Wow! We are all finally starting to get over it after all this time! So much for the flu shot! We have left a trail as Jamie's daddy is sick and my mom who babysat for me to go to the doctor now has it! Pooh...I feel so bad for sharing! Way to ring in the new year with Tamiflu and a Z pack!
We have had sweet little things happen during the time we've all been at home too! At dinner each night, Jamie, Shane, and I hold hands and pray before we eat. We have just now adjusted the booster seats to allow the twins to sit at the table instead of next to it. last night, Annabelle started to put her hands together as she normally would, but during my prayer she reached over and grabbed her Daddy's hand to hold. Oh my, I saw some watery eyes! So precious!
She has been a bit funny too! In the past when we would ask who has a dirty diaper, she always would say, "It's Cade"! Poor defenseless little fellow, we would go right to him. Usually it was her, so we stopped falling for it! I asked the other day again, and this time she didn't miss a beat as she replied, "Ahhgail"! The poor baby has now been sucked in! Silly girl!
She does have a strong, stubborn side for sure! As she and her Daddy were getting up from a nap today, she wanted them to both go into the den right then! daddy wanted to wash his hands and take a minute. She started fussing and he got a bit frustrated (we don't always do the sick thing all that well). Anyway, he wanted her to apologize for fussing at him. She was not going to! Oh my, this went on for some time. He finally had to go to home depot and was asking her nicely ot apologize. She still wouldn't and waved bye to him! While he was gone, I had called my parents and they were talking to the twins on speaker phone. I guess she warmed up and wanted me to call him after we got off. I did and got his voice mail. She was spouting out, "hi Daddy, I sorry" but it didn't record at the right time. He called us back in a few minutes and she apologized several times. He did too and told her he loved her! ( I was realizing at 23 mths today, she came up with all this by herself....refusing to apologize, then missing him, figuring out I could get him on the phone, apologizing because she was ready, and greeting him with hugs and more apologies when he got home) I'm so in trouble! It was a bit humorous to see...well.....I'll just let it go!
She did spend the rest of her evening charming us as we stumbled across a movie called "The Dreamer" with Dakota Fanning and Kurt Russell! It was a great little movie about a girl, her horse, and a long shot at the breeder's cup! A great watch if anyone's looking for a family flick! Anyway, she got so excited everytime the horse would be on the screen! She would say "neigh" and dance! When the horse was racing she squealed, danced and clapped her hands! It was so precious! After the movie ended she kept clapping and smiled at us! She was so happy and went and climbed on her rocking horse and rode her little heart out! Pure kissable moment!
Cade man has cracked us up too! He loves that the gate in front of the fireplace is gone now that the Christmas decorations are gone. I had kept pillows in front of it before, but hadn't put them back yet. ( I just got all the 6 trees and tons of stuff down finally by the 7th. With 3 sick babies, it was a little at a time!) Anyway, he loves to stand on the fireplace as if it's his stage and the world is his audience. He has furthered his charming little smile and knows it! I can't count the number of times I grab him and kiss him though the day! He loves his cars and trucks and books about them both! He and Annabelle love to play chase and have the best time! (my sister called me shortly after we got home and was babysitting Allie! She was a bit perplexed and asked me how do you keep a 2 and 1 1/2 yr old entertained. To which I replied, "with a twin"! LOL.. and its true!) This is a time that twins are easier than a singleton. I hear them laughing and playing so much daily..as as long as they don't turn their minds to mischeif, it's so great! :)
He also has been standing on the couch as if it were a stage! When we tell him to sit, there pops that little grin again! Silly thing! He still sings the same way..."larwl, lawrl, lawrl" It's so funny! He does have the most loving little heart! He stops and loves on Abigail randomly just because! He's very tender! He hands out kisses much more freely than his twin!
He enjoys bouncing around in the huge inflatable jumper Santa brought them! Such a boy!
I've got to wrap up as it's after midnight and there is more than 2 and 1/2 inches of snow on the ground already. I'll need energy for playing tomorrow! I can't believe we've got snow again already! Such fun!
Love to all!
We enjoyed so many things about the season. It was quite an event to take the children to the Christmas Eve Candlelight service at church. As I've mentioned before, we've had such strict doctor's orders to keep Cade out of the nursery, so the bigger and more crowded the services, the harder it is to go and keep 22 mth twins and a baby from getting too excited. Its so hard to express how grateful we are for all we have been blessed with!
I know I will remember so much later that I should've included, so it may take a few entries to get it all down. :) We had a very quick but great visit with Harvey and Barbara on Christmas Eve before the church service. They are so precious to us! Barbara seems to find the perfect things for the children (and everyone). She started the twins book collection before they were ever born and continued to add to it this year! She is amazingly thoughtful- so is Harvey! ;) She showed the babies all her "special decorations" that sang and danced and lit up! I was on hand patrol as each one was more magnificent to each of them! She tenderly taught them how to press little buttons and make things work. They amaze me how they've adapted as our world became quite busy and have welcomed these three little ones! It was so good to see them!
Christmas Day was so sweet! We had all the children here (all 5) and just enjoyed our time together. The twins were so excited but a bit overwhelmed as to why they should discard the first present and then move to the next. So we realized it would be better to open gifts in phases. 1 or 2 at first, then after a few hours, another couple, etc. It seemed to help. Their favorite items from Santa were: Annabelle- a rocking horse that neighs and makes sounds- of course, she loves horses! and Cade: a huge tonka firetruck that doesn't light up or anything..its the classic old fashioned one- he was so excited. They didn't open those until late in the afternoon. Abigail just seemed to love the lights and interaction with everyone! We had yummy cinnamon rolls for breakfast and a crock pot roast with potatoes and carrots to eat throughout the day! Of course there was birthday cake for dessert! ( Jesus and I, you know) I mean that in the most reverent way, I'm truly humbled to be born on a day that historically such amazing love and sacrifice was expressed! It was just low key and relaxing! As if the day had not been wonderful enough, we got an extra present in the form of the first White Chrtistmas in Atlanta since the 1880's. How beautifully fitting that it was Abigail's first Christmas and first snow! We borrowed our sweet neighbors' sled and had a terrific afternoon in the heavy snow! The twins were about to drop but kept wanting to go "again"! We let them unwind in a nice warm bath when it was over!
We headed out to Florida the day after Christmas to visit our family down there! Ma Carrie is unchanging and steadfast in her sweet spirit and open arms that feel just the way they did the last time they embraced you and sent you home- along with that walking, hand on you, praying over your safe travel that she does while you're making your way to the door to leave! Oh, how I can't wait to get to her house every time we go! It's not that its magnificent by the world's standards, although it's very nice, it's just that it's so filled with her love and rich memories and family! Her kitchen walls, her refigerator, and her hallways are filled ( I'm not kidding, with family 8X10 pictures from all the years: weddings ( of those still married and those not- whom she would sweetly host in a minute), senior portraits, familt portraits,- back to her own parents and siblings. ) - My kinda girl!!!! She wouldn't dare want anyone to not be displayed there! She prays over us all continually! What a tremendous comfort, because if God ever heard anyone's prayers, it's Ma Carrie's ;) Little joke, So grateful He hears all of us ;), but she lives out His mercy and grace daily and encourages those around her as they walk this life! She's someone you can't imagine not having encountered! Make no mistake, the woman has more internal and external strength than anyone you'd ever meet! (nevermind that she's about to be 93 in Feb)! I think I've mentioned her before in my blogs, but I could just go on and on about her! I do so hope to keep a spirit like hers, along with her since of humor, though my life!
Anyway, it was such fun to see Daddy ( Jamie's) and Sue Sue and of course Sylvia and and Kevin and everyone! I unfortunately started feeling a bit congested the second day we were there! Little did I know where that would lead! The twins remembered everyone and warmed up quickly! Jamie's mom and Aunt Betty and Aunt Linda came over and had a nice visit with the twins too! Lots of good visiting and yummy food - always at Ma Carrie's! A week of that and I brought home a few extra pounds! ;( but it was worth it! As Thursday night approached, one by one, I was up rocking feverish babies. Thank goodness Jamie's Daddy was able to get to the store and get us some Children's ibuprofen when we thought there was a chance they might be getting sick.. In a small town the stores still close early. Not a Walmart close by! LOL! I love it for that reason! Anyway, it was a wonderful time despite the sickness! Friday morning we pulled out quickly and headed back to the ATL! We made record time coming home and unloaded only to reload in 15 minutes ot head to Children's @ Scottish Rite! Annabelle had a 104.2 fever and Cade and Abigail weren't far behind around her with 102. Lots of tests and a chest xray for Cade all to result in the flu for all and an ear infection for Abigail! I never had a fever but had bronchitis so that was 4 of us down! By Saturday, Jamie started feeling sick and by Wednesday, I had all babies and Shane back at the doctor. Flu still for everyone..so 6 of us down. Darby attended the huge Passion conference in Atlanta the 4 days after we got home and is in NC now or would be sick I'm sure! Wow! We are all finally starting to get over it after all this time! So much for the flu shot! We have left a trail as Jamie's daddy is sick and my mom who babysat for me to go to the doctor now has it! Pooh...I feel so bad for sharing! Way to ring in the new year with Tamiflu and a Z pack!
We have had sweet little things happen during the time we've all been at home too! At dinner each night, Jamie, Shane, and I hold hands and pray before we eat. We have just now adjusted the booster seats to allow the twins to sit at the table instead of next to it. last night, Annabelle started to put her hands together as she normally would, but during my prayer she reached over and grabbed her Daddy's hand to hold. Oh my, I saw some watery eyes! So precious!
She has been a bit funny too! In the past when we would ask who has a dirty diaper, she always would say, "It's Cade"! Poor defenseless little fellow, we would go right to him. Usually it was her, so we stopped falling for it! I asked the other day again, and this time she didn't miss a beat as she replied, "Ahhgail"! The poor baby has now been sucked in! Silly girl!
She does have a strong, stubborn side for sure! As she and her Daddy were getting up from a nap today, she wanted them to both go into the den right then! daddy wanted to wash his hands and take a minute. She started fussing and he got a bit frustrated (we don't always do the sick thing all that well). Anyway, he wanted her to apologize for fussing at him. She was not going to! Oh my, this went on for some time. He finally had to go to home depot and was asking her nicely ot apologize. She still wouldn't and waved bye to him! While he was gone, I had called my parents and they were talking to the twins on speaker phone. I guess she warmed up and wanted me to call him after we got off. I did and got his voice mail. She was spouting out, "hi Daddy, I sorry" but it didn't record at the right time. He called us back in a few minutes and she apologized several times. He did too and told her he loved her! ( I was realizing at 23 mths today, she came up with all this by herself....refusing to apologize, then missing him, figuring out I could get him on the phone, apologizing because she was ready, and greeting him with hugs and more apologies when he got home) I'm so in trouble! It was a bit humorous to see...well.....I'll just let it go!
She did spend the rest of her evening charming us as we stumbled across a movie called "The Dreamer" with Dakota Fanning and Kurt Russell! It was a great little movie about a girl, her horse, and a long shot at the breeder's cup! A great watch if anyone's looking for a family flick! Anyway, she got so excited everytime the horse would be on the screen! She would say "neigh" and dance! When the horse was racing she squealed, danced and clapped her hands! It was so precious! After the movie ended she kept clapping and smiled at us! She was so happy and went and climbed on her rocking horse and rode her little heart out! Pure kissable moment!
Cade man has cracked us up too! He loves that the gate in front of the fireplace is gone now that the Christmas decorations are gone. I had kept pillows in front of it before, but hadn't put them back yet. ( I just got all the 6 trees and tons of stuff down finally by the 7th. With 3 sick babies, it was a little at a time!) Anyway, he loves to stand on the fireplace as if it's his stage and the world is his audience. He has furthered his charming little smile and knows it! I can't count the number of times I grab him and kiss him though the day! He loves his cars and trucks and books about them both! He and Annabelle love to play chase and have the best time! (my sister called me shortly after we got home and was babysitting Allie! She was a bit perplexed and asked me how do you keep a 2 and 1 1/2 yr old entertained. To which I replied, "with a twin"! LOL.. and its true!) This is a time that twins are easier than a singleton. I hear them laughing and playing so much daily..as as long as they don't turn their minds to mischeif, it's so great! :)
He also has been standing on the couch as if it were a stage! When we tell him to sit, there pops that little grin again! Silly thing! He still sings the same way..."larwl, lawrl, lawrl" It's so funny! He does have the most loving little heart! He stops and loves on Abigail randomly just because! He's very tender! He hands out kisses much more freely than his twin!
He enjoys bouncing around in the huge inflatable jumper Santa brought them! Such a boy!
I've got to wrap up as it's after midnight and there is more than 2 and 1/2 inches of snow on the ground already. I'll need energy for playing tomorrow! I can't believe we've got snow again already! Such fun!
Love to all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)