today (in an extremely long run-on sentence)

Today my girls woke up happy and chattering to each other and stayed in their room playing long enough for me to get a shower and some precious moments in front of our icons and then perched on the couch, Bible in hand, listening to the rain, and I wish every morning started like that,

and then they asked for oatmeal for breakfast so I didn't even need to convince them that it would be the perfect fare to fill our bellies with its warmth and goodness

and then I let Aida make a huge mess with watercolors on the kitchen table and Sophie make a huge mess in the bathroom washing her toys because they were happy and independent and I made muffins and folded that basket of towels and rags in the laundry room that never gets folded (only to fill it up again with more clean towels and rags...such is this endless cycle)

and after we cleaned up 2 huge messes and changed into different clothes we ventured out in the rain because we could not wait one more day for a trip to Costco for wipes and nighttime diapers (since they're still just 3) and the girls had their thrill of the week because we had a hot dog there for the first time ever (please forgive me, I know it is the Fast, but this pregnant mama needed protein and B vitamins and truckloads of mercy and grace)

and after quiet resting time (during which Sophie bounced 2 slats out of her bed again) the girls dressed up in princess dresses and pink boots and mittens and flew on their horses to several places, namely Nana and Grandpa's house, the beach, Batman's house (?), and the Nashville Zoo and I wish I had pictures but somebody let her camera battery die

and we read and read and read and read and waited for Daddy to come home and played with Playdough and I had 2 little helpers in the kitchen to make dinner with me (like every night)

and we lit our Advent wreath and read about the Israelites passing through the Red Sea and halfway through the (very short) reading Aida asked if she could open her Christmas book now, and when it was finally time they opened up Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia! which we read together

and then I got to have dinner with some lovely people while Elijah gave the girls baths and put them to bed and did the dishes (he is great like that)

and it was a good day.

joy

Here is the series of photos I took before the girls went to their tea party last weekend. I usually take as many as I can while they stand still because it is rare to get the girls simultaneously looking at the camera and looking somewhat normal. I found each one of these hilarious.

A joyful new week to you!

thankful

Last night I woke at 2:30 a.m. to cries coming from the girls' room. When I went in to investigate Aida was lying in bed (backward - that's how she likes to sleep these days), very agitated. I rubbed her head and whispered into her ear, asking what she needed. When I couldn't quite understand what she was saying, I tried repeating back to her, "You want to snuggle with Mommy?" No, clearly that was not it. After a few more moments I realized what she was saying - she wanted to snuggle with Sophie.

Well, by this time Sophie just happened to be awake, too. But Sophie wanted Mommy. So the 3 of us piled into the rocking chair. Usually this is a failproof way to illicit quiet from my children, but Aida was not placated. In a moment of 2:35-in-the-morning brilliance, I asked Sophie to hold her sister's hand. She sleepily obliged; we had immediate peace.

We rocked back and forth, sisters holding hands, and my mind raced back to our NICU days, to the night when I was finally able to hold both of my 3-week old girls at the same time. There they were, tiny bodies pressed against mine, swaddled within an inch of their lives, fuzzy caps on their heads. Within moments each had reached her hand toward the other and they were clasping fingers. My heart ached for every moment they had been separated after growing for 31 weeks literally on top of each other. And I was filled with gratitude for each little miracle in the past 3 weeks that had led to this moment, my daughters able to be together again.

So tonight, I am thankful for these girls, who have been God's gift to us over and over and over. And I am thankful for my husband, and for this little one growing in me now. Thankful for parents, brothers, sisters, friends. For daily struggles and daily mercy. And even for middle of the night snuggling sessions. But I'm thankful for sleep, too.

our week in review

It was a full one.

Lots going on. Lots of tears (from all of us). But lots of laughing, and snuggling, and general silliness. Moments full of grace and mercy and joy. Lots of time spent enjoying Auntie Cat and family and friends.

We started out last weekend by going to the zoo. While we were there, Elijah decided to join the phenomenon sweeping the world known as "The Lying Down Game" - aka "Parkour for Lazies." (It's British, what else can I say?)

The girls wanted to get in on the action.

There was dancing with Daddy and a Bayoon Party, of course.

We celebrated 30 wonderful years of Cat.

Sophie asked me to tie the (not exactly clean) dish towel on her head. When I asked her who she was, she answered, "Mary."

Which was fitting, because on Saturday, after we said goodbye to Auntie Cat,

the girls dressed in their fanciest dresses and headed to a tea party at church in honor of the feast of the Presentation of Mary in the temple. I could not believe how many girls ages 3-12 were there - almost 40!

How was your week?

bayoon party

How to survive a cold day stuck indoors with 2 grumpy, whiny, going-through-some-kind-of-phase girls? Open up a bag of balloons, blow, and tie. Frowns and whines turn to laughter and shrieks of joy.

And when Daddy comes home, have a full-out balloon party in the hall. (Except in this home, it's called a "ba-yoon party". And you can run around shouting, "Bayoons! Bayoons!" if you want to.)

(Thanks to Auntie Cat for taking the pictures!)

because reading to your sister is much more fun when...

...neither one of you is wearing any clothes.

cowgirls

These are the new pink boots that Nana left with her girlies.

They are magic boots.

As soon as a little girl dons this magic footwear she becomes a brave cowgirl. She rides her pony with abandon.

She runs through forests and fields, averting danger at every turn. She cries, "The river! The river! We have to get out of the river!" (Or, she clomps up and down the hall - those boots are really good for clomping - shrieking and screaming about that river - wherever it is - and about how absolutely imperative it is for her cowgirl sister and herself to get OUT. OF. THE. RIVER!)

But, these magic boots also happen to be pink and rhinestone-y. A brave cowgirl so adorned must have a pony to match her style.

We've been busy, busy, busy over here. Yee-hah!

gotta go with it

I had all kinds of Letter A activities planned for my girls, including making apple prints. The idea was to get paint on the cut side of an apple and stamp it on the paper.

My girls had different ideas. They half-heartedly stamped the apple a few times to please their well-intentioned mommy. Then, with great energy, they set to painting their entire apples. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves. I thoroughly enjoyed moving away from the plan and watching them create.

And wasn't the final result more beautiful than apple shapes stamped on paper?

us these days: Part 3

I have been avoiding this post like the plague because I simply do not want to write about myself. I'm not sure why I promised a 4-part series instead of a 2-part series when I started this blog! It reminds me of my senior year in high school when my government teacher, already retired in spirit if not in body, made me write my own letter of recommendation for my college applications (which he then signed). I couldn't do it - my friends did it for me.

Although this is certainly no letter of recommendation, it may resemble one in the fact that it won't be the complete picture of who I am. My failings are many; the list is much too long and I don't care to air it all out here. Keep that in mind as you read on, and pray for me.

These days I am fully entrenched in Mommy Mode. I knew I would love being a mother - knew I was made to nurture children - but I just didn't know how deeply I would become Mama until I did. I am thankful, thankful, thankful to spend my days with my children.

It is really, really hard.

I am doing my best to be a good wife and to love my husband. I really, really love him.

I miss my family and friends back in Santa Barbara and I am thankful for and enjoying my family and friends here in Nashville.

In some ways I am still mourning the loss of our baby back in February. October 14 would have been our due date; when that day came and went without a squirming, squealing bundle in my arms I shed a few more tears to add to the thousands (millions?) I've cried in the last 8 months. I am learning about loss and doubt and faith and suffering and the inexplicable grace of God through it all.

And I am learning about hope, as we anticipate with great joy the birth of a new little one. I am 10 weeks pregnant and grateful. I am tired. I am fearful, and trying not to be. I am excited. I can't wait for my sweet girlies to be big sisters. They are already brainstorming names. Aside from "Baby Simon", I can't even imagine how to spell the ones they've come up with so far. We are looking forward to meeting this baby in faith and in hope.

I am sewing (or, was sewing, before 1st trimester exhaustion hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks) quilts for my little girls. They have been in the works for quite some time. A true labor of love. I am learning to ease up on my expectations of myself, let go of a bit of my perfectionism, and stop stressing about self-imposed deadlines. But I really do hope they are done before the next baby arrives. :)

I am grateful for this life God has given me. And I pray that I can faithfully grow into the person He has called me to be.

Halloween 2010

We're still battling colds around here, but we managed to fit in plenty of fun this weekend between carving Jack-o-lanterns, making pumpkin bread AND pumpkin pie, and fantastic Halloween fun at Grampsy and Grammy's house. Lots and lots of pictures:

The lovebugs:

The girls got to trick-or-treat at each of the 4 doors at Grampsy and Grammy's house - perfect for them this year!

Then it was off on some hayrides (courtesy of the mower) followed by pumpkin patch croquet.

We finished off the night with hot dogs and marshmallows roasted over the fire. My little lovebugs had a happy, happy day.