Like brother, like sister

Some things must be in the genes...this was taken just moments ago.

Insatiable

I'm having one of those days that I can't get enough of my kids. We visited with their cousins this morning having lots of fun playing in the backyard. The boy LOVES the water and he thought it the coolest thing ever to slide into the pool. He's still working on gracefully getting out of the pool and climbing up the steps to slide, but he squealed with delight as he splashed down. He didn't care when his cousins poured water over his head, splashed in his face, or even when Dylan held the hose right in his face. After all the concern over his delayed motor skills and social reservations, our boy has come into his own. My heart overflowed with pride for where he has come and love for this adorable little boy.

My girl just continues to express who she is. The first three months of her life were very challenging, but I know they prepared me for the certain challenges to come. I learned to love her when she wasn't loveable - for days on end. I learned how to find patience I didn't know I had. I learned I'm tougher than I thought in some ways, and not as strong as I assumed in others. I learned how to rely on God. Her smiles melt me. Her laugh thrills me. Her eyes connect with my soul. And I LOVE that she has a certain snuggle spot with me that can calm her almost every time - and it only seems to work with me. I can't hug her tight enough.

She's four months old today - where has that time gone? The second round is going by so much faster than the first one. He'll be two in 3 weeks! Standing in my parents' hallway staring at pictures of the boy at 3 weeks, 5 months, and 11 months, it's hard to even remember when he was that small. It's hard to remember the girl was even smaller than that! I know the next 18 years will pass more quickly than I desire -and becoming empty-nesters will be looming (if our quiver is full). Will I make the most of the time? Will they be responsible young adults? Will they be prepared to enter the world out from under the umbrella of our protection? Most importantly, will they know God and love Him with all their hearts, minds, and souls? What an awesome responsibility we have to train these two to follow God.

Today I just can't get enough of these gifts God has given me! How blessed I am.

"Hat"

Another word he added to his vocabulary and with which he had a lot of fun thanks to his cousin's train-themed birthday party. And I think his shirt is right on the money - we are definitely in for some with his charm!

Sleeping like Grannylou

Our sweet baby girl has a new habit while she sleeps, and the crazy part is that it is just like her Grannylou! Who knew this was genetic!

Manly lessons

The first lessons with shaving cream weren't exactly productive, but the boys had fun!

Swimmin'

We headed to the pool this morning taking advantage of Clay's off-Friday. The water was a bit chilly thanks to the lack of sun around here, but the weather was perfect. The girl and I didn't venture into the cold water, but the two boys had a blast. The boy looked adorable in the swim outfit Mimi and Grandaddy gave him at Easter. We still haven't found a suit that will fit our itty-bitty girl, but she didn't seem to mind the swim diaper. The boy loves the water, but is cautious enough not to venture away from Dad. He learned how to kick, but we need to work on closing the mouth when going under water. What a great way to start the weekend!

As you can see, the girl was quite content in the carrier...wonder what she'll do once we get her in the water?

Rooming together

The kiddos are now bunking in the same room!!! This adjustment came much more easily than anticipated thanks to our trek to Alabama - we are now in night #5. The most common question I am asked is if they disturb each other, and the answer is a hearty "no." He hasn't stirred when she wakes up in the middle of the night or cries when she really isn't ready for bed. She didn't budge when he fussed the other night for some unknown reason or goes down for his nap. I guess we are blessed with heavy sleepers - just like us!

"Color"

This is one of the boy's new favorite words. He LOVES to color, and he thinks that any writing utensil should be used to do just that. Here he is with his good pal, Emma, who came to play for a few hours today.











While the two older ones colored, the littlest gal played happily under her own toy. She has become quite animated and active lately. It is just too adorable to watch and listen to her.

Rub a dub dub, three boys in a tub

This whole event went a lot better than we expected... and we had lots of lessons in sharing!

A weekend of firsts

This is the boy eating McDonald's in the DFW airport before we boarded the plane. Myself and the kids (along with my parents) took a trip to the Ham (or Birmingham) this past weekend to watch my cousin graduate high school. It was a weekend of firsts - first time to travel with two kids, first time to travel without Clay, first time to fly with the kids. I could not have asked the kids to be any better when it counted. They did great on both flights, handled the two-hour delay coming home with flying colors, and even cheered appropriately as my cousin walked across the stage. Upon hitting turbulence, the boy simply cried "whee!", and when they called my cousin's name at graduation he yelled "all done!" And you can see by the pictures where the girl spent most of her weekend. This is her with the graduate, the graduate's brother, and the graduate's mother.












What is it about little boys and girls? My cousin's boy couldn't keep his hands off my girl this weekend. He was so interested in her asking if she was okay when she was crying and wanting to know where she was at all times. I might be a little worried if we weren't related!!! Fortunately for him, he's getting a sibling in November.










More proof there is something about little boys and girls...this is my nephew who just can't seem to get enough of our girl either. He calls her "my izbit." He wants to hold her, push her in the swing, and give her the pacifier. It's too cute...but does require our constant supervision because he loves her so much!

I love to swing

"Daddy knows I love to swing BIG!!!" "WHEEEEE!!!!!!!!"

Girl X 5

The 5 girls born into our accountability group in the last year were all at the party mentioned in the previous post. We took a chance to get some pictures of them together. Trying to get 5 babies looking in the same direction was quite a challenge, but I think these two came out well. From left to right: Miss Boerger (10 months), Miss Alexander (4 months), Miss Pennington (2 months), Miss DeHart (3 months), our girl (3 months).









The day before the party I bravely offered to keep Miss DeHart for the day. Her regular babysitter had family in town so she spent the day with us! It was quite an adventure having the boy and two infant girls only a week apart. Miss DeHart was born 6 days after our little one...but you wouldn't know it by her height!!! She towers over our girl! I admire those with twins - I was so busy I didn't get any pictures until after her parents came to get her. We ended up spending the evening together so the two moms had to have a photo shoot!