Full of Thanks

I'm not sure where to begin with the list of things I'm thankful for this year. Ironically enough, my girls' "real" due date was Thanksgiving Day. I add this to the list of reasons why God has a sense of humor. I have no doubt it was no accident these girls were supposed to arrive on a day we are to remember what we are most thankful for as a continual reminder throughout my pregnancy. Here is just a short list of things I am thankful for this year:

1. Two, healthy, beautiful girls that are growing more and more each day and are as healthy as can be.
2. A superstar husband who has proven to be an even bigger superstar dad.
3. The most incredible moment Kyle and I shared just a few short hours after I delivered our babies where we were both overwhelmed with emotions at the miracles that had just entered our lives.
4. One of my beautiful girls may be starting to resemble her mommy. And the other one is undeniably her daddy's daughter. :)
5. The one pair of pre-pregnancy jeans that I can button and zip. Yes, I have a muffin top and yes, they are very snug. But it's a small victory.
6. We will soon be moving into a gorgeous new home that was built by my unbelievably generous sister and brother-in-law.
7. I get to stay at home to raise my girls.
8. I have the most adorable, hilarious nephew in the world, and I can't wait to meet his brother this Christmas!
9. Aunt Sara and Sam who have showered their neices with so much love. They are so lucky to have such cool aunts.
10. A wonderful family in general.
11. Special friends who bring such joy, laughter, and realness to my life.

Kyle always makes fun of me because at both of our anniversary dinners I have teared up talking about how thankful I am for our life together. I never thought that marriage or having a family would make me as happy as it has made me. I see everyday that my wildest dreams have come true.

I can confidently say that this year, although filled with its fair share of challenges, makes me see once again that my cup runeth over.

Wishing you the happiest of Thanksgivings.

New Hope

So this past week, Kyle and I's dear friend, Kris, approached our life group about supporting one or more kids through the New Hope Children's Home. The organization seeks to provide physical, spiritual, and emotional support to the abandoned and orphaned children of Peru. Like most people, the thought of abandoned or orphaned children breaks my heart. It's opportunities like this that make me wish we were millionaires and could make sure no child suffers from hunger, sickness, or abandonment ever.
Kyle had told Kris that we would like to support 2 children (one for Sophie and one for Campbell). Kris has a friend who has worked as a missionary with this organization, and we found out today that our giving will actually go to support a pair of twin girls-Sandra and Carolina. Amazing! What an incredible opportunity for us made sweeter by the fact we get to directly impact a pair of twins half way around the world.

So if you are looking for an opportunity to serve or give to those in need this holiday season, this is a wonderful organization to support. Check out their website if you want more info.

Colossians 3:17 – And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

xoxo

I want...

If only it weren't $695.

I did get a good laugh thinking about what Kyle's reaction would be if he saw this amount purchased from Banana in our bank account.

Maybe I'll ask Santa.

Keep Calm and Carry On

I'm feeling this will be a fitting piece of art for the new house and our new life with our munchkins. I'm currently contemplating between several varieties/colors of this print on etsy.

I'm thinking this should probably be mounted somewhere where I can see it at 3:00 am when I wake up to two hungry girls. Or, keep repeating the new phrase my husband came up with: "One nap and one feeding at a time" This has gotten me through more than one late night half-awake feeding, along with many prayers and hours of babies sleeping on Kyle's chest. Have I mentioned that I don't know what I would do without him?

Perhaps this might be more realistic?

Here's hoping I can keep calm and carry on through these first few tiresome months... ;)

xoxo

Sneak Peak...

This weekend, we had the pleasure of getting the girls' newborn pictures taken by the unbelievably talented Angel Porch. She is so creative and sweet and did such a great job posing the girls. I was astonished at how well the girls did. They didn't fuss once and insisted on snoozing throughout the entire shoot! I was so nervous they would either be wide awake or fussy (or poopy) the whole time. I was thrilled to know that my girls hopefully have many more photogenic days in their future. I also thought it was unbelievably sweet how much they enjoyed being so close to each other. I for sure thought having to be squished on top of each other would ignite some screams, but in fact it was quite the opposite. They loved being so close to each other and made the most contented, sweet little noises throughout the shoot. Perhaps they can carry this attitude throughout their teenage years? ;)
Angel was sweet enough to put together this little montage for me to see before all of the pictures are ready. Gosh, I don't know how we will ever be able to choose. I have a feeling we are going to be spending more on the pictures than we had originally thought, and will most likely have a wall or shrine o' Sophie and Campbell in the new house, which is exciting for me since they are much cuter to look at than Kyle or me!

And on a side note, I was also surprised to see how alike they look in these pics. They look as different as night and day to me when I normally look at them, but something about them being so close made me think they may turn out looking more alike than we thought.

I promise to do a post of many, many more pics from their session once we have them. Thanks for doting on them! ;) 

Christmas Cheer

With the girls' first Christmas right around the corner (and fingers crossed, our first Christmas in our new house!), I am getting excited about a few things. First, finding their "Baby's First Christmas" ornaments. Here are a few I'm considering on Etsy...

( front runner )

This one would show our whole little family. :)

And if course...stockings! I ordered one of these a few years ago for Teddy. Even though Kyle and I had some darling stockings we received as a wedding gift (thanks Lauren!), I've decided to go ahead and order all five of us matching ones from PB. I will have to find an extra special place to hang our old ones since they are one of the things I love most out of all of our Christmas decorations.

And, yes, I did get "Mom" and "Dad" on mine and Kyle's... ;)

A post is yet to come on S & C's Christmas attire...

First Bath and Thoughts on Mommyhood

 Well, here I am (almost) 3 weeks into motherhood. As you can imagine, I'm tired. But in the best way possible. If I'm going to be so deliriously tired that I forget my social security number when the doctor's office receptionist asks me for it, it might as well be because I am taking care of the sweetest little blessings imaginable. Here are just a few thoughts on my first few weeks of being a mom:

1. I never thought I could love the little bundle of sweetness that screams/fusses from 3-6 am every night so dang much (yes, Sophie, I'm talking about you!)

2. Being a mom of twins is harder in some ways, and easier in other ways than I had imagined.

3. I must get out of my house every 2-3 days or I start to go crazy. And by crazy, I mean I start fixating on the craziest things, forcing my husband to believe I am really losing it.

4. Hormones take you on the rollercoaster of your life post-pregnancy (see #3).

5. I never thought I would cry tears of joy, love, exhaustion, guilt as much as I have these last 3 weeks.

6. What is it about being a mom that makes you feel guilty about everything? 

7. I wish more than anything that breast feeding could have worked out with the girls. For a myriad of reasons, it would have been extremely difficult and beyond exhausting for me to make it work. I am still pumping, so the girls are getting some, but it has been much more difficult resigning myself to the reality that they won't be getting it much longer than I ever thought it would be (see #6 on guilt).

8. It has been so much fun watching these little girls grow right before our very eyes. It seems they change on a daily basis. This is rewarding to know that those middle of the night feedings are helping them to become big, strong girls!

I'm sure there are a million other little things I have realized about being a mom, but I'm too tired to remember them all. I'll leave you with some pictures of the girls' first bath at home. What an adventure!

Sophie Kay:
"What are you people doing to me?!"

Campbell Jane:
"Mmmm...that was nice. Can we do it again tomorrow?"

And I just thought this was a humorous portrayal of how many bottles we make/warm/give in one night from 9 pm to 6 am.

I love you, S & C!

xoxo