Happy Happy Birthday Birthday!

I know, I know, it's a little overdue, but Happy First Birthday Daniel and Happy First Birthday Lauren! It's hard to believe they are one year old already, and it's hard to believe all that has happened in our lives in the past year. One year ago today we had two-week old twins and closed on a house, loaded everything up, and moved across town. What.A.Weekend! It took a village to get everyone and everything from point A to point B in one piece. I remember it like it was yesterday! But then everything becomes a blur for the next several months....

Continuing thanks to everyone who got us to where we are today!

We had a pretty low-key birthday party for Daniel and Lauren at the house. We decided it would be more fun if we kept it simple, and it was! Nana and Papa, Mimi and PawPaw, Aunt Mary and Uncle David, and Almost-Uncle Jake (he's marrying my sister someday!)enjoyed some food, cake, and outside play time. My so so sweet seamstress neighbor made (yes, made, by hand!) birthday outfits for Daniel and Lauren, so they wore them for the party. Ms. Lisa and her sister even came by for some cake and to share in the festivities :-)

Aside from partying, we've been keeping pretty busy with the routine. I am much more of a schedule-follower this time around than I was with Sarah, I think due to necessity and to keep my sanity with two little bodies toddling around all day. I can count on one hand the number of days Daniel and Lauren have missed a nap time, and I think I'll keep it that way for awhile! Finally, finally (Praise God!) we have a consistent nap routine that includes 2 one-hour naps (approximately) and almost 12 hours of sleep at night!

So tomorrow they'll skip a nap...or two...because....Daniel and Lauren are starting Mom's Morning Out at our church! Ok, so they're really only going once or twice a month, but this is big for us! :-) They do a great job in the church nursery on Sundays, so I am confident they'll do great at MMO, too, and I will really enjoy a few hours a month to do some window shopping (ahem) and maybe even sit and read a good book on my patio, which I've been waiting to do for a year.

Finally, I'm sure you want an update on the "milestones" that Daniel and Lauren are meeting:-)

At one year, Lauren...
- is walking! Actually, she started walking just shy of 11 months. She is always, always, looking to get into something
- has 5 teeth and one more on the way
- eats just about anything but has changed her mind about cheese, a previous favorite
- loves, I mean LOVES, her bottle. The fits she has each morning while waiting for me to fix it are absolutely ridiculous, and if this continues, she will be taking a warmed bottle with her to college ;-)
- says "Dadeee", "Mama", and "Hi" and signs "more"
- is very, very social, and always needs to know that you are right there if she needs you
- loves cats, which is good, because we have about 10 of them roaming our coul-de-sac and patio at all hours of the day
- does NOT like getting into her car seat, but she does fine once we start moving
- does NOT like getting dressed or having her diaper changed

At one year, Daniel...
- is walking! Sort of. He takes about 5 steps at a time now and the proud look on his face when he does it is priceless!
- has 3 teeth and no more on the way that I can see yet
- eats everything and does it so fast you wonder where it all went when you turn around
- likes trying to climb out of his hair chair and up all over the toys
- is a mellow guy unless someone hurts his feelings, and then he can be as dramatic as his sisters
- says "Mama" (especially when he's tired or upset). He also loves blowing raspberries :-)
- loves to push, throw, and otherwise propel toys across the floor of a room and follow them around- he is such a boy!
- does NOT like getting his diaper changed or getting dressed (picture some major wrestling moves going on between mommy and Daniel during these times)

It's amazing the boy/girl differences that are already apparent at such a young age, and when I have tried (semi-consciously) not to steer them towards specific boy/girl toys or activities...

Enjoy the pictures from their birthday! On Monday of this week we met with our photographer Michaele at the park for the last of the baby photo sessions, so hopefully I will have some more adorable pictures to post soon!

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. I'm not even sure if she still does it, but I sure need to this week :-)

I started trying to post these last year, but then I kept forgetting. However, I seem to have not done too many things this past week:

I most certainly did not find Daniel like this on Friday:


I would never have left him unattended in his high chair for even one second while I took Lauren to look at a cat out the window. I especially would never, ever do that without strapping him in. Finally, if I did see him in that predicament, I would certainly not stop to take a picture before lowering him to safety. No, not me!

Also this week, I definitely did not potentially expose maybe 20 kids, or so, to a virus that my kids (yes, all three kids now) have had. I would really not invite other children into my home to play with germ-infested toys. No, not me! (*disclaimer---I really did think we were in the clear! Ooops! Sorry!!!*)

And....I would never make 40 some odd visit to the pediatrician in less than a year. Even if I did, I would not call them three times on more than one occasion just to get one sick visit scheduled, and rescheduled, and rescheduled...

While I'm on a roll, I would not keep two toddlers in the shoe store for over an hour just to find the perfect pair of shoes. Will they even wear them? After not keeping them in the store that long, I would certainly not decide to just skip giving them lunch and put them straight to bed with just a bottle. I mean, these are growing, hungry babies! After they went to sleep, I did not just eat ice cream for my own lunch because it was easy (and tasty!). Nope, not me!

Last, but certainly not least, I would never jump for joy at the thought of my little bitty 4-year old being gone to school for 6 1/2 hours per day. I mean, that's really a long time for a kid, right? Not me!

As you can see, I didn't do a lot of things this week. How about you? I'd love to hear your stories!

She did What?!?!

So apparently I'm getting old, and so is Sarah. Sarah had her first day of Georgia Pre-K on Monday! No matter how hard I try, my mind cannot figure out how Sarah, my little baby, is as "big" as the kids I taught for GA Pre-K. Those kids seemed so mature to me (in most ways, immature in others!), but Sarah still seems so, well, little. At any rate, she is old enough to go to GA Pre-K, and so that's what she's doing this year. I am very, very excited for her, because I know how much fun "stuff" gets crammed into those Pre-K days, and I know how much "stuff" she's going to be learning and doing this year. Her teachers seem super nice, and are so qualified. Both are certified teachers! She's going to get to do so many great things there, including going on lots and lots of field trips. So far, here is what she has done (in her own words):

"tried to take a long rest, but it just didn't work"
"played those instruments that go together like this (cymbals)"
"they had the 'basagna' that I didn't like (cheese ravioli), so I didn't eat it"

And she is very, very excited to play with the "mushy mashy stuff" (floam), but I don't think she's gotten to chance to dig her hands into it yet :-)

Baby Portrait Session #3

We just had our third portrait session for Daniel and Lauren's 4-session baby package. It is so much fun to have someone come to our house and take pictures. It sure does save me some stress!

Hot Fun in the Summertime!

Wow, where has the time gone? Is it really almost the middle of July, and is August really just around the corner? If I don't hurry with this update soon, Daniel and Lauren will be having their birthday and I won't have even covered Sarah's 4th birthday on here yet! That's right, folks, Sarah turned 4 a few weeks ago! Happy 4th birthday (a little late) to my sweet, sweet Sarah. Sarah, you are pure joy (most of the time) to have around, and daddy and I are so grateful that we get to have you for our oldest and first girl. You will always be my princess, and my baby Sarah, no matter how big you get :-) Enjoy these pictures from Sarah's Minnie Mouse birthday party!








This is sort of backtracking, but at the end of May we took our first family trip to Disney World! Thanks to Mimi and Paw Paw, we had a fantastic condo to stay in with a fabulous pool (which the kids would have gladly spent the whole week in, hanging out under the water fountains). Jeremy and I were able to take Sarah to the Magic Kingdom for two days and spend some individual time with her, which was really special. We also took the whole crew to Animal Kingdom one day, and everyone did so much better than I expected! What a fun week!

















And we can't forget the 4th of July! We went to a pool party at my parents' pool, and then we came back home and took it easy for the evening. No fireworks this year, but maybe we'll give it a try next year! Happy Birthday America :-)

Hoarders meets My Strange Addiction

If my calculations are correct, then by the time they turn one, Daniel and Lauren will have used approximately 5,000 diapers. That is a LOT of diapers, in my opinion (not to mention a lot of changing, wipes, diaper genie refills, etc.). How long do you think this stash will last us?

I can't stop buying diapers! Knowing that we will eventually use them, and taking into account my new hobby addiction to finding great deals, I just can't stop buying buying buying! I just hope I really am getting great deals and not only hoarding diapers. At any rate, I've just about run out of room so it's time for a diaper break for awhile. I'll pick back up in a few months...

Happy Mother's Day!

Someone shared this poem with me at a church play group and I have been thinking about it this week in anticipation of Mother's Day. I am so blessed to have three beautiful, precious children to love on every day! Hopefully more frequent blog posts will follow soon---I have a lot of ideas (and copycat ideas) in my head, I just need to find time to get them on here! The pictures you see here are from our fun session at Portrait Innovations this morning--first time trying to get professional pictures of all three kids. They did fabulous!

Loving Jesus

I started my day early,
Before the room was light.
I lifted my son from his crib
And wished it was still night.
But as I held him close and said,
"Hi, Kenneth, precious one,"
I knew that as I greeted him,
I greeted too God's Son.


When my daughter woke up later,
Calling, "Mommy! Mommy! Down!"
I picked her up and hugged her
In her worn Elmo nightgown.
I know she felt the closeness
That a mother's touch affords.
I welcomed not just Ellie,
But so, too, the Lord of Lords.


That day, I mixed some formula
And opened jars of peas.
I fixed some "pizza butter" bread
When she grinned and said, "Pleeeeease."
I heated up some leftovers;
I had to nuke them twice.
And when I fed my children,
I was feeding Jesus Christ.


I made some funny faces,
And "played puzzles" on the floor.
I dressed kitties, ran around outside,
And played with them some more.
We laughed and jumped and tickled,
Making memories to be stored.
When I spent time with my children,
I spent time with my Lord.


I wiped up sticky cereal
And washed the dishes clean.
I straightened, picked up, put away,
And dusted in between.
I did six loads of laundry
And folded it like new.
When I cleaned for my children,
I cleaned for my Savior, too.


When my children were both crying,
I held them in my arms.
I cuddled them and whispered
That I'd keep them safe from harm.
I told them how their Father saved them
With His perfect Lamb.
When I comforted my children,
I comforted I AM.


Later on that evening,
I put them in the bath.
I washed their little bodies
As they kicked around and splashed.
I dried them in soft towels
And put their jammies on.
When I had washed my children's feet,
I'd washed the Holy One.


I cooked and cleaned and rearranged,
Made beds and taught and played.
I made sure that we had food to eat
And that we often prayed.
I died to self. I made a home
From ordinary things.
But when I served my children,
I served the King of Kings.


To some, I have done nothing,
But to two, I've done the world.
I made eternal difference
To my precious boy and girl,
And to the One who watches over
Every pathway that I've trod.
For when I've loved my precious children,
I've loved Almighty God.



~Megan Breedlove