Daily Joys

Lydia's story

2011-12-22T06:49:00.001-06:00

Blogging just isn't making it into my priority list lately. Maybe soon, but for now, here's a new favorite of Lydia.

Precious Brother Moment

2011-05-20T05:39:00.005-05:00

After my quick mention about Drew and Evan getting to explore in our backyard together when they're big boys, Drew could not stop talking about it! For the next hour, he told us all about his plans.

"No girls. No Mommy. No Daddy. Just me and Evan. I hold Evan's hand. He no be scared. We go to water (there's a little creek behind our house). Jump! Just me, Evan. Big boys!"

And my heart swelled with thankfulness for my sweet family of two boys and two girls. And joy to hear my big boy be so excited to play with his baby brother.

I've been shocked by how gentle Drew is with Evan. He gives him sweet kisses on his head and little hugs. I rarely have to tell him to be slower, softer, gentler. In the picture above, he put a lion stuffed animal on Evan's head!

The girls are another story. They want to be super involved in every process with Evan, so I'm always reminding them to slow down, don't move him, be careful, be gentle, give him some space...every time he's awake. It's all because they adore him, but I'm not sure it feels all that loving to Evan most of the time!

They've been thrilled to see Evan smiling, even at them a few times! Here are the best smile pics I've gotten so far.

Off to prepare for a fun weekend with AJ's college buddies and their wives. We're so excited for this belated 30th birthday celebration!

2 months

2011-05-07T06:58:00.009-05:00

Sweet Evan is two months old already. Life is pretty fast paced these days, so I just want to take time to write down some thoughts from life with him.

I often call him the perfect baby. I've thought each of our babies was easy, but this guy seems almost too good to be true.

He loves his pacifier and is great at holding on to it. I can't think of a moment that it didn't work to calm him.

It is a rare moment when he really cries hard. He sleeps so well, hangs out happily while awake in his bed, sits or lays wherever we put him and rarely makes a peep. The way I know he's getting upset is by his grunts, huffs, and puffs. He seems so mild mannered.

When he does cry at the end of a nap or in the middle, it is like an on/off switch when we pick him up. He stops immediately. I've also noticed recently that he stops when I start talking to him, before I pick him up. I love being the one whose voice calms him.

He is enthralled by toys above him. He didn't love his bouncy seat until I added the bar of toys. He's often found staring above, watching and reaching for the toys he sees. The big kids have made a game of cheering "Go Evan!" while waiting for him to touch a toy then saying "Yay!" when he does. It's fun to see them all "playing" together already: here's a video!

The newness still has not worn off with the girls. I love that they still say, "AWWW" pretty much every time he wakes up from a nap or they've been away from him for a little while. Jenna loves to take his pajamas off for him and has been asking when she can change his diaper.

Drew often asks, "Where's my Evan?" He gets lots of top-of-the-head kisses from his big brother. It's not always easy sharing Mommy, though. When Drew wants to be held instead of Evan, he'll often say, "No feed Evan. No feed Evan." Drew says his name E-nan.

He sleeps so well. Last night was his best night yet: he went 8 hours between feedings and gave Mama several solid hours of sleep in a row!

He's a crane necker. Since he was just days old, he often pulls his head back when being held facing the adult. He does that during tummy time too which helped him roll over 3 times between the ages of 2 and 4 weeks! I was shocked! He also loves to look back at whoever is holding him. He could win a staring contest any day!

He's beginning to smile and coo. Best mother's day present ever! The easiest way to get a smile right now is to stroke his chubby cheeks and talk to him.

Until a few days ago, he's seemed consistently solemn and serious. His daddy says he has a constant scowl. That's pretty true, and it's funny to get that look back from him when I'm in his face being silly and trying to get a smile out of him. Here's the scowl during his one month photo session with Mom.

He's growing differently than our other kids. By differently, I mean he's chunking up quickly! He's already in 3-6 month clothes exclusively.

He looks just like Drew's baby pictures. I will need to be sure to label baby pictures, or I could easily confuse them someday...especially since they wear most of the same clothes.

Since we're planning for Evan to be our last baby, I find myself soaking up the moments to hold him, kiss him, snuggle with him, and watch him. We all love him dearly.

Quotes I don't want to forget

2011-03-18T07:47:00.002-05:00

We're getting along pretty well as a family of six. We're on our own this week, and things have gone well, but I'm looking forward to my parents' arrival tomorrow. I'm excited to have more adults to give attention to the big kids who have been great but could use some more quality time. Evan has already been welcomed into one of the most commonly played game at our house: train.

And a few sweet moments that I had to get in writing:

"Can we keep him for a long time?" -Jenna

"Can you see me, Baby?" -Drew while laying on the floor, peeking under Evan's door. Evan was crying in his bed, and Drew looked like he was attempting to pass him a book to cheer him up.

"He's the cutest baby ever!" -Lydia

"I'm a real mommy!" -Lydia after opening a new doll from Uncle Leroy and Aunt Patsy. She was trying to make the pacifier stay in the baby's mouth when the magnet inside the doll's mouth made it stick for the first time. She was shocked and thrilled!

Evan's Birth Story

2011-03-13T21:09:00.006-05:00

First, a little background. I had a c-section with the girls because Lydia turned breach at 36 weeks (how? we have no idea!). It was scheduled at 37 weeks, and I had zero real contractions while pregnant with them. My recovery was incredibly easy for a c-section, but I chose to attempt a VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean) with Drew. I went into labor naturally two days before my due date, had to wait to get my epidural so long that I was a 10 when the nurse checked me right after the epidural took effect. Ouch! Then, I pushed for two hours before the doctor helped coax Drew out with forceps (not because he wouldn't fit but because I couldn't seem to get him pushed out correctly). I've never met another person who feels this way, but my recovery from my vaginal birth was definitely harder than my c-section recovery.

Knowing that my circumstances with Drew were unusual, we opted for a VBAC again with Baby #4. It's better to not induce labor with a VBAC, so I'd been trying to prep my mind to go past my due date (March 16) so that my expectations were realistic. However, I was a 2-3 at 36 weeks and a 3-4 at 38 weeks, and my doctor said he'd bet I wouldn't make it to my due date. So I quickly found myself longing to meet my baby as soon as possible! The suspense of whether this was a boy or girl made me especially excited to have this baby!

Labor with Evan was completely different from my experience with Drew, and for that I'm thankful! With Evan, the story began on Sunday (the 6th) morning. As I was getting the kids ready for church, I realized I was having pretty regular contractions--not really painful but noticeable and fairly frequent. I started tracking my contractions during Sunday school and church, and they were 5 minutes apart for a couple hours. They still didn't hurt though, but I expected that to change any minute. Instead, the contractions stopped for a while. I went for a long walk that afternoon to try to keep things moving, and I did have more painless contractions that evening. Then, in the middle of the night I had contractions that were painful enough to make me get out of bed and look for a more comfortable position every time I felt one coming. I got up and took a shower, planning to call Joanne (my mother-in-law) to ask her to come after I showered. Well, they quit again. I was bummed! So, I went back to bed and had some more but they were still at least 15 minutes apart.

The next morning I was pretty disappointed because this was different than what I had expected and different from labor with Drew. I had my weekly OB appointment that afternoon and started noticing some pretty regular contractions before I left the house. Sitting in the waiting room, they were getting a little painful and were 10 minutes apart. So, the doctor checked me and told me I was a 5-6! Whoa!!! So all those contractions really were doing something. He was nice and encouraging, but I left confused. Since I was Strep-B positive and having a VBAC, he said it would be better to not show up at the hospital at an 8 or 9. He said sometimes this can happen without seriously painful, regular contractions. But, he also didn't tell me to go to the hospital. I called my mom confused, and she said we should pray for clarity about my decision.

Well, the clarity came right away. Even on my way home, the contractions began to be 5 minutes apart and were getting more noticeable. That continued for 2 hours, so we made phone calls to get the kids taken care of, packed, and headed to the hospital. It was still very strange because although they hurt, I could still walk and talk through these contractions. I wished AJ could tell me whether or not we should be going to the hospital, but I had to make this call on my own. He didn't know how I felt or what we should do. After getting to my room at about 7:00, the nurse checked me, and I was still a 6 but the contractions were continuing to be regular and more painful (still nothing like with Drew though). I got the epidural a little while later, before I was in agonizing pain, which was awesome! I continued to progress while trying to get some rest. AJ said he felt so strange and useless because I never really needed him up to this point. Then, at about 10:15 pm, I felt a steady trickle of water and had AJ come see if my water had broken. It did! I got my second dose of the Strep-B antibiotic at 11 pm which was perfect timing and better for the baby to have those two doses. It wasn't much longer and I was a 10 and started to push at 11:15. I was nervous about this part since it didn't go smoothly with Drew. However, my nurse's coaching, my sweet hubby, and encouraging doctor made this go-round so much better! It also helped that I had done this before and that my epidural was just right so that I could feel how and when to push. I guess I was pushing hard...the next day I saw what looked like freckles on my face which were popped blood vessels from the pushing process and muscles all over my body were very sore. There was a tense moment when the doctor cut the cord in a hurry because it was wrapped around the baby's neck, but it passed quickly. At 11:46...sweet Evan Michael was born! I remember the nurse saying "Look between your legs" and I was straining to see if this was a boy or girl. I could see most of the baby but not the vital parts yet. Then AJ called out "It's a boy!" I wish I had a recording of him saying that. What a moment. All I could think about was Drew and this little guy playing and doing boy stuff with their daddy. I was overwhelmed with thankfulness, joy, and delight at this perfect addition to our family.

They cleaned him off a bit then laid him on my chest (this was the first time they didn't have to whisk my baby away to check him/her out). A little while later, the nurse was cleaning him up some more and told me he was doing some snorting and that she thought he needed some skin-to-skin time with his mommy. That was such a sweet time especially when he was breathing great after snuggling with me.

In the first few hours, Evan stuck his tongue out a lot and kept his eyes open quite a bit...so cute!

It wasn't long before Evan had his first visitors. Caleb (Drew's middle name is after him) and Hannah Shelburne (former students from Midland currently living in northwest Arkansas) drove down (3.5 hours) as soon as they heard I was at the hospital. So kind of them.

That night I couldn't sleep because I was so distracted dreaming about my new little boy and adding him to our family. We are so blessed and so thankful! We love you so much already, precious Evan!

It's a BOY!

2011-03-08T19:53:00.002-06:00

Evan Michael is here! He was born March 7 at 11:46 pm. He was 7 pounds 11 ounces and 20 inches long. It was a great labor and delivery...details to come. It's been a great first day with him! Here's a few favorite pictures from his first day of life.

Jenna and Lydia turn 4

2011-02-20T15:35:00.009-06:00

We had lots of fun celebrating the girls' birthday! Like usual, our celebration was spread over a couple weeks. Our traditional family outing to honor the girls was a trip to Fayetteville for a University of Arkansas gymnastics meet. The two competing teams were ranked in the top 20, and it was close all the way til the end. The atmosphere was super fun--mascots, cheerleaders, fun music, popcorn. The girls seemed to enjoy it, and it was a special treat to get some time with Uncle Ben, Aunt Maggie and Tusk.

The day of their birthday a sweet co-worker of AJ's brought the girls a Tres Leches Cake. Yum! She brought it early that morning, so we had to eat some for breakfast!

It's becoming a common request to visit The Wonder Place for a birthday. It wasn't very crowded on this Tuesday morning, which was a great treat!

The blowing scarfs, veterinarian's office, and the water table were a few favorite activities of the day.

That night we went to Macaroni Grill for Jenna's macaroni and cheese and Lydia's spaghetti. Some opera singers sang the girls "Happy birthday" in Italian, and we enjoyed our time together as a family.

Sweet girl with her elephant cake. Jenna's great at making people laugh, is pretty steady emotionally, and is an encourager.

The Lydi-Lady cake. Lydia loves to dance, dress up in fancy clothes, and is a real tender-heart.

They don't seem to mind sharing their birthday at all! It's so fun to watch them grow up together.

The weekend after their birthday, our neighbors and Grandma and Poppie came over to help us celebrate. Our neighbors, with kids at similar ages to ours, have been a big bonus of this move. The kids play together often and are truly sweet friends.

Lydia was the first to have Happy Birthday sung to her and then blow out her candles. I love the way Jenna's hand is on her sister's back while she works to blow out all four candles.

Jenna's turn. It took both of them several blows to get all the candles out.

We love you, Jenna and Lydia! What a joy it is to be your parents! We're grateful for these four years we've been privileged to enjoy with you.

A Baby Shower

2011-02-20T15:29:00.004-06:00

I need very little for this baby boy or girl. By the way, I'm loving not finding out the gender and feel some extra excitement to meet this baby because of all the unknowns! I have bins with bedding, blankets, clothes, baby equipment, and more. Even still...I was really thankful when a friend told me she wanted to have a shower for me. It was just good to realize that in this past year God's provided some neat friends who want to help celebrate this new member of our family! It was mostly my MOPS friends plus AJ's mom and a couple other friends from here in town. It was just fun to spend time with those girls, and I felt so loved by all the work that went into that Sunday afternoon.

Just before the shower. It sorta looks like I'm propping up my baby belly on the counter.

Cute cake that matched the cute invitations. They had lots of yummy food!

Some favorite gifts were diapers and wipes (of course!), this new drying rack that looks like grass, steam cleaning bags for cleaning bottles, pump parts, etc., and some cute neutral blankets.

The sweet hostesses: Susan and Tammy. They thought of so many little things that made the day really special. Thanks girls!

Colorado

2011-02-19T20:42:00.015-06:00

AJ left town for two and a half weeks to help with a Chick-fil-A Grand Opening, so the kids and I went to spend some time in Colorado with my parents. My dad generously flew both ways so that he could drive our mini-van back and forth so that I could attend to the kids for the 15 hour drive. The kids did great, and we had a wonderful time! It was full of a little bit of drama, though.

We stopped in Tulsa for the night to break up the trip at Uncle Brock's house. This was where our stomach bug began. The good news was that Jenna was grown up enough to puke in the toilet for the first time! Yay to avoid a mess!

The first day we were in Colorado, we went to eat a restaurant in a former train depot, and Drew loved it.

The train drove by then parked right outside the window beside our table. Drew's dream come true! After lunch, we took the kids to their first theater movie: Tangled. Drew did fine, but our sensitive girls couldn't handle the intensity of it. We kept trying to talk them into making it through, but eventually we had to walk out.

During the weekdays, my parents worked most days, so we spent time with friends, went to my dad's basketball games, and just enjoyed relaxing. One night I went out with some college friends, and my parents kept the kids. Jenna was fighting another round of the stomach bug, and at one moment she rolled off the couch. My parents went to check on her, and her eyes rolled back in her head then she puked. They were worried she was having another seizure (like she had at 15 months), so they quickly called 911. She was with it again in a few seconds, and the paramedics and my parents determined she was probably just dehydrated. They didn't have to take her to the hospital, but it was definitely scary!

On the weekend we were there, my parents did a few special things for an early celebration of the girls' birthday. They had a ladybug and elephant pancake for breakfast then we went on to the childrens' museum in Denver.

This place was impressive and quite crowded too!

Lydia loved the stage area complete with neat costumes and ribbons for dancing. Grammy even made some similar ribbons that the girls got for their birthday a couple weeks later!

Drew loved the train table and kept his engineer hat on as long as possible. He knew it was perfect for him; he loves to tell us that when he grows up he wants to be a train engineer.

On the way home from the museum, my dad was driving and all of a sudden felt dizzy then couldn't see for a few seconds. He was able to pull over safely, but it was scary to wonder what could have happened on another road or in a different situation. It encouraged him to see a cardiologist who told him not to drive for the next 1 1/2 months. That complicated our plans for him to drive us home in a few days. We decided to switch roles and have me drive and him entertain the kids, which was a good plan until the stomach bug struck again the day before we needed to leave in order for him to catch his flight back home. Ugh!

Tea party with Grammy. Drew did not want to be left out of the dressing up.

Thankfully I felt quite a bit better the next day, but my dad came down with the bug the next night in a Kansas hotel (and my mom got it too, back home alone). Ugh again! We made it to Tulsa the next day, and Brock and Harmony took good care of us. Dad missed his scheduled flight but was able to reschedule free of charge. The flight day was full of delays due to snow, but eventually he made it home about 36 hours after we had originally planned before the sickness and delays. Lots of drama, but it made home even sweeter to return to!

Belly Update

2011-02-19T14:52:00.003-06:00

Here's my baby belly at 35 weeks. The pregnancy continues to go well, and Baby is head down and ready for another VBAC. We're all getting excited to meet this baby, especially to know if we're adding a boy or girl to our family. A fun treat I won at the end of this pregnancy: a makeover! At MOPS they had a drawing to have a hair cut and color by a girl who used to cut hair at a fancy salon and now stays at home as a mom. Also, we have a Mary Kay consultant in the group who did my make-up. What great timing to have some help feeling pretty here at the end!

New Year and Snow Days

2011-02-19T14:01:00.004-06:00

The days surrounding New Year's were so nice! They were full of play time with new toys, getting organized, and seeing old and new friends.

What a treat to meet Miracle Baby Silas Smith while they were in town visiting family.

This boy set himself up in a little chair in front of a bowl game and was all smiles about watching football.

We had an unusual amount of snow that fell several different times in January and February. This was the first year the kids were old enough to enjoy it much, so it was perfect timing! The first snow was while "Uncle" Caleb and two other MCA students were here visiting on their way to Siloam Springs.

This was the kids' first snowman. The other favorite activity (especially for Drew) was sledding (on a baking sheet) down our neighbors' driveway. We've found a good use for their steep driveway several times this winter.

We were in Ozark for some snowy days also, and Grandma got some fun pictures of the kids!

We've loved the snow, and now we're loving the warmer Spring-like weather!

Christmas

2011-02-17T21:46:00.007-06:00

Our Christmas celebrations started on the 23rd, the day after we finished Drew's birthday celebrations. It was a bit tricky fitting in all of the celebrating! We had a traditional Christmas dinner with my grandma, parents, brother and his girlfriend who all graciously came to our house since AJ worked quite a bit surrounding Christmas. My mom and grandma brought a ton of food and did the majority of the kitchen work which made hosting Christmas quite simple!

After dinner, we opened gifts.

Stockings from Grammy and Grandpa

A gift for Baby!

Sugar cookies are definitely a tradition with the Blackburn side, so we made sure to fit that in the next morning.

The whole family gets involved in the decorating, and the most impressive cookie is usually made by Uncle Brock.

The girls got to sing in our church's Christmas Eve service. The kids choir stood on stage facing everyone while the congregation sang along to some familiar songs. The girls were pretty excited to "sing in a choir!"

Christmas morning we read from the Jesus Storybook Bible then opened the stockings and gifts that AJ and I got for the kids.

Love each of their expressions as they check out their stockings. The fruit snacks in their stockings may have been the biggest excitement of the morning!

After opening gifts and breakfast with my family, we drove to Ozark for Christmas with AJ's family. Here's four of the six grandkids reading the Christmas story with Poppie.

Alexandria is always so sweet to teach Lydia some dances and dance with her. Sweet cousins! What a treat to have quality time with both sides of the family near Christmas!

Drew's train birthday

2011-02-17T14:08:00.010-06:00

We like to extend our birthday celebrations. Drew's celebrating began with a trip to Northwest Arkansas for a Christmas train ride. We saw some Christmas lights and rode with Santa, a reindeer, and a teddy bear. Our car's heat was broken, and we didn't find out until we had already left the house, so we borrowed from Grandma Perea and Ben and Maggie and bundled up in some unconventional clothes. Drew enjoyed it as much as we had hoped and talked about it for days afterward.

The day of Drew's birthday we went to play at The Wonder Place and he discovered the table with tracks for trucks, cars, and trains. He loved it! We had Macaroni and Cheese for lunch and went to Chick-fil-A for dinner with Grammy, Grandpa, and Great Grandma Cornett who drove in just in time for dinner.

The next day we had a little party for him with both sets of grandparents and Uncle Brock and Harmony. I made him a train cake (with coaching from my mom and grandma), and his reaction was a great reward for the effort. He got lots of fun gifts like two train sets, lots of train and truck books, a fireman costume, and more! He was thrilled and didn't even want to leave his train to go blow out candles and eat cake.

We had a great time celebrating Drew!

Christmas is coming!

2011-01-25T15:48:00.012-06:00

Preparing to celebrate Jesus' birthday was so fun this year! Thanks to some practical, simple suggestions from a friend at MOPS, I made a quick advent calendar and we read a Bible verse and did an activity each day to get ready for Christmas. A few favorites: going to look at Christmas lights after bedtime while drinking hot chocolate, going shopping for a needy child's Christmas gift, and making Christmas goodies for our neighbors. It was fun to sing Christmas carols (all the kids knew a bunch!), dance to Christmas music, and hear the kids' excitement about everything related to Christmas!

We went to a fun Christmas tree farm to get our tree. We didn't have that option in Midland, and we enjoyed this day much more than our former trips to Lowe's to buy a tree.

Jenna dresses up to decorate the tree

Drew wore this stocking the first time the nurse brought him to us in the hospital two years ago. It's fun to see the major change in who swallows what!

Lydia (always dressed as a dancing princess) got the star honor this year

One weekend we got to hit Silver Dollar City with all of AJ's side of the family. It was a cold night, but the lights were beautiful. The decorations were amazing!

It's a big treat to be closer to family so that we can do fun weekend trips together! This is AJ's brother Ben and his wife Maggie.

The kids loved playing with this wooden, non-breakable nativity. The most popular activity for this year was lining all the characters up for a train ride.

Jenna in front of our church one Sunday morning when Daddy sang in a mens' choir.

Grandma and Poppie spent a December weekend with us, so we made gingerbread houses together. The ratio of adults to kids was perfect!

Fall activities and colors

2010-11-15T15:48:00.010-06:00

We've really enjoyed this fall. The kids really like their weekly activities, and the weeks always fly by for me and AJ. Friendships are continuing to grow, and we're feeling more and more at home here. My favorite weekly activities have been the marriage course we took at church the last 10ish weeks and MOPS. It's been great to have scheduled time to talk about deeper issues with AJ. It feels like our marriage is better than ever! My friendships at MOPS have been a big blessing. It's a place where I feel at ease and enjoy the relationships I'm forming there. I also really miss Midland friends lately, but I know it takes time to allow friendships to grow.

I'm not sure what Drew's highlight has been this fall. Maybe the morning that the trash truck comes by our house. He's been pretty happy wherever he goes, as long as they have trucks and choo choo trains. I love Wednesday nights with him. We go on a date while his sisters are at AWANA and Daddy works. If you ask what we do on our dates, he'll tell you we give kisses (such a treat to just hold one kid and love on him a bunch!), go on walks in the stroller, and go shopping. The church where we go to AWANA is a long way from our house so we spend the evening doing errands. Drew's beginning to sing (his favorite is "Hot Cross Buns") and remember books that we read often which are the books with trucks or trains.

The girls' favorite part of the week is AWANA. It warmed my heart recently when we were reading bedtime stories, and they starting quoting AWANA verses that correlate with the Bible stories we were reading.

A few weeks ago we had the huge privilege of bringing home Cubbie Bear (actually two of them). Each week one kid (or one set of twins) gets to take Cubbie home to take care of him. I think it may have been the biggest highlight of the girls' little lives so far! Big hug for Cubbie from Jenna.

Gymnastics has been another big highlight, and it's been helpful to learn some skills we can work on at home too. We're in our last month of taking gymnastics because it's too expensive, but we'll keep doing gymnastics at home.

And this is the view I've enjoyed out our kitchen and dining room windows in the last week. We love living in the woods!

Another big highlight this fall was last weekend. The kids went to stay with Grandma and Poppie's. AJ's brother and wife and a Midland friend and his fiancee came to visit. We went to see Wicked together and just hung out, talked, and played games. It was so refreshing! When they headed home, AJ and I redeemed a gift certificate we received at Christmas and went to a lodge on Arkansas's highest point: Mt. Magazine. The fall colors were beautiful, and we loved the one-on-one relaxing time!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-20T15:24:00.013-05:00

We definitely missed the fabulous Fiddlesticks Farm in Midland, but we enjoyed a trip to a pumpkin patch last weekend. We actually got to pick our pumpkin from a field, which was a fun treat! The kids also liked the hay ride (Is anyone else used to calling it a hay RACK ride? AJ says I'm the only one he's ever heard call it that!) behind a tractor, the corn box, and the hay maze.

It's beautifully green here (and beginning to turn orange, red, yellow, amazing!), but I decided black and white was a fun look for this set of pictures.

Drew was determined, a commonly seen trait in our son, to pick up this large pumpkin.

He loved to run around the hay maze and laughed so hard anytime someone found him. We love to hear him laugh!

The girls enjoyed being buried in this corn

Drew spent some quality time with this old, sweet dog.

Riding behind a tractor!

The reason it always looks like I'm squeezing the life out of this boy in pictures is because tickling him is the only way to get a good smile for a picture.

Jenna adores him...really we all do. I love watching him be a daddy!

The Blackburns' Fall Visit and Finger Sucking

2010-10-20T14:57:00.007-05:00

My parents came a couple weekends ago, and we had a great time with them! A couple highlights were the car they brought after rescuing it from a neighbor who was giving it away and an air show. Our kids can't get enough of time with their Grammy and Grandpa!

Unfortunately, the only speed avaiable is quite fast, so here's my mom running next to crazy driving Lydia.

Jenna preferred to stay out of the car and hold Grandpa's hand.

At the airshow, Drew was in heaven! Trucks, planes, firetrucks...his dream world!

In the last month, we've been working hard on helping the girls quit their finger sucking habits. We're seeing great success, and two pieces of advice were most helpful.
1. Sticker charts: we had to divide the day into several parts so that they could have some success, but this was the key in making them active participants in the effort to quit. They were quite motivated by a sucker or a trip to the dollar store with Daddy!

2. Band-aids: when it's time to sleep, we put a band-aid on their fingers to remind them not to suck. Someday we'll have to do it without band-aids, but both girls are working toward their final reward by going several days and nights in a row with no sucking! Yippee! Success...finally!

Drew prays

2010-10-02T13:31:00.000-05:00

Here's the other precious one that makes being a mom worth all the work.

Sweet Jenna

2010-10-01T15:52:00.000-05:00

Sweet Lydia

2010-10-01T15:49:00.001-05:00

I have the best job

2010-10-01T14:48:00.006-05:00

Today I started the day pretty grumpy. It's my day to take my kids to a friend's and have the morning to get things done alone. But we both have sick kids, so I needed to keep them with me. It's turned out to be a fun day, though. Everybody's feeling better today so we went to run errands including a donut shop. They patiently waited while I picked out the supplies to make a fall wreath, and we found some cute bedding for Drew's big boy room. Then, out of the blue, this came out of Jenna's mouth during lunch. The girls say it every so often, but I'd never videoed it. I decided it was time. Scroll up to "Sweet Jenna" to see this video.

Then, Lydia liked the idea of being on camera, so Jenna captured "Sweet Lydia." (scroll up)

In other news, we've started our fall activities and are having fun. I'm still questioning if we're doing one too many things, because the kids are pretty worn out at one point in the week. We'll have to keep evaluating. We're doing library story time, a marriage course at church (it's our best option for a date night right now because they include dinner and childcare in the cost for the course), MOPS, AWANA, and a ladies Bible study at church. The girls' definite favorite is AWANA--they love it!

No, they don't always match, and they don't usually sit so still right next to each other. But I had to seize the moment this week at story time.

Oh, and the girls just joined gymnastics. We've been pursuing non-surgery options for treating Lydia's strabismus (eye crossing), and we went to see a developmental optometrist in a town 2.5 hours away (it's the closest we could find). She helped me understand the implications of Lydia not using her eyes together, primarily a lack of depth perception. She says surgery can fix the cosmetic problem but doesn't address the brain problem of using the eyes in sync. So... she says this can lead to trouble with eye-hand coordination, tracking when reading, etc. This all rang a bell based on what we had noticed in Lydia, so we're ready to follow her suggestions in hopes that her brain can be re-trained to use both sides and also both eyes at once. One idea was to start gymnastics because she says using both sides of her body's large muscles will start to train the brain to do the same with the smaller muscles. She's also put tape on the inside of her glasses in hopes of giving her feedback when her eyes do cross and make them want to straighten out so that she can actually see. So, that's why we've started gymnastics for both girls. What a fun therapy option! We're praying for wisdom in knowing what steps to take next, especially since this doctor is so far away and isn't in network with our insurance.

Boy or Girl?

2010-10-01T14:39:00.003-05:00

We've decided not to find out! We're getting crazy and going for the surprise this time around. Everybody who's done it both ways says it's totally worth it, so we'll see for ourselves. I'm planning a VBAC again, and I'm thankful to have found a doctor here in Little Rock who agrees that this is a great plan for us.

Here's a picture from 13 weeks. I'm now 16 weeks and feel great! My belly got big fast, but I don't think it's grown too much since then...I hope! AJ even asked me the other day if we're sure we're not having twins. Stinker!

The girls continue to talk to the baby regularly. When they hear a song with the word baby, they say, "Baby, this song's about you!" And of course Mommy gets to help the baby talk. Drew loves to pat the baby and sometimes claims he has a baby in his tummy.

Colorado, Montana, and home again

2010-09-18T21:20:00.009-05:00

While AJ enjoyed views like this on a trip to Glacier National Park with his dad and brother,

and impressing everybody he met at a Chick-fil-A training in Atlanta to be a Grand Opening Trainer,

the kids and I went to stay with my parents in Colorado Springs for two weeks. AJ was so sweet to orchestrate the details so that we weren't left home alone. I didn't do a very good job of taking pictures, but here's a few.

While in Colorado, the kids loved gardening, playing outside in the beautiful weather, playing with friends, yummy treats homemade by Grandma and from the ice cream truck, and lots of playing with Grandpa, Grammy, and even Great Grandma who came to visit for a couple days. The big memory from the trip was the wild bunny AJ found on the road in his few hours at my parents' between his two trips. My mom suggested that we let the kids have it for a pet while at their house. Unfortunately, it didn't even live the one week we had left there, but they still loved having a pet for a short time.

The day after Drew was released from the hospital for some more breathing issues, my mom and I made the trek with the girls to Cheyenne, WY for AJ's cousin's wedding. It was a big treat to see so many family members, and my dad was so kind to keep Drew so that he could recover at home.

Here's a shot of the great grandkids of Great Grandma Maggie's who made it to the wedding.

Another big highlight was a trip to The North Pole the day before we left for Arkansas. It's an amusement that's really geared for small kids, and we had a great time!

When asked what they want for Christmas, they just stared. We'll enjoy it while it lasts!

The kids loved this tram even though it went high above the ground. As long as things don't go fast, we can handle them!

This was Drew's favorite. There were no lines, so when he finished riding the bus, he'd yell (that's really the only volume he uses) for the firetruck or motorcycle and rode it many times in a row.

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for a fun memory and for hosting us for two fun weeks!

Sharing the news

2010-09-08T07:53:00.000-05:00

A summer in Arkansas

2010-09-03T23:03:00.011-05:00

Well, it's been hot and humid, but we've enjoyed getting to know new people, spending time with family, and a few visitors too. May was full of trips then we were mostly home for June and July then went to Colorado for a couple weeks in August (post coming later). Here's a few picture highlights.

We were thrilled to have Julie Brown (a sweet Midland friend, favorite babysitter, and discipleship teammate) come visit for a long weekend.

Julie and the kids on a hike at Mt Magazine

We love living closer to family and having opportunities to see them more often!

Hugs for cousin Alexandria

My friend, Sarah, and I have been swapping babysitting to give each other a break once a week. It's been nice, and the kids have a good time together!

Lydia and Matthias

Popsicles are a definitely summertime must!

The new Mr and Mrs Chaney came to visit in July. Travis was a huge hit with the kids!

Making dinner with Auntie Gigi

And my favorite summer pictures of the kids:

Reading stories to their babies. Everyone's dresses were made by my mom--adorable!
The girls are starting AWANA this year and love going to story time at the library, playing with friends, and dancing, singing, and playing with their sister and brother at home.

Drew loves to stand at the counter and be my helper. He loves trucks and choo-choo trains. His favorite thing to do is stand by a road and pump his fist asking trucks to honk at him (Daddy taught him one day, and it's a cute guy thing they like to do). He plays more and more with his sisters, has strong opinions about most things, and is very loud pretty much all the time. We think he's so handsome, and we laugh at him a lot.

In other news, he's been diagnosed with reactive airway disease which is pretty much asthma in little ones. We're hopeful that he will grow out of it with time, but for now any allergy season or cold brings lots of inhaler puffs, concerns about having to go back to the ER, and a need to watch him very carefully.

All in all, we're doing great and really enjoying our current life stage!

A baby! A baby! A baby!

2010-09-03T22:38:00.004-05:00

When I found out I was pregnant, the thing I wanted to do most was tell the girls the exciting news! However, I knew I had to wait unless we wanted the whole world to know right away. The day of my 8 week appointment, we decided it was time. I made these stick people pancakes to represent our family and used sprinkles to decorate, including a special design on everyone's shirt using their favorite color. When we brought the kids down, they immediately named everyone then got to the little person on the end. "Who's that?!" We told them that Mommy has a baby in my tummy and that they get to be big sisters again. Jenna gave my belly a strange and confused stare then both girls were full of big smiles. Then came our favorite comments:
"Mom, God answered my prayer!" -Jenna
"I'm SO excited!" -Lydia

The girls continue to check on the baby often, asking if she's hungry and quickly telling me to start eating. They've also asked if the baby will be okay when I'm driving and if it hurts the baby when they touch (or elbow during story time) my tummy. Drew loves to pat my belly and say "Baby!" I'm 12 weeks now, feeling great, beginning to show, and super excited! And...AJ's working on my stamina and is trying to convince me that we should wait til Baby's birthday to find out the gender. I'm pretty sure he's going to win this with his logic, just like he does most arguments.

Do Re Mi

2010-07-26T21:20:00.000-05:00

We could play this for days!

2010-06-15T13:52:00.000-05:00

Flower girls

2010-06-03T22:23:00.000-05:00

The tap dance house

2010-03-27T21:46:00.008-05:00

Here's a few pictures of our new home. We closed Friday and plan to move in mid-April. We hope to clean a bunch and do some repairs between now and then.

Your car belongs in this driveway for a visit!

We call it the "tap dance house" because of this front room where our realtor taught the girls to tap dance one time while we were looking at the house.

I love all the light in this kitchen/dining room!

Another favorite part of the house is the way it's so wooded in the back.

A laundry ROOM (not closet)!

This is the extra bedroom upstairs. We'll use it as a playroom...something we were really hoping for in our Little Rock house. The floor is laminate, and I'm not sure yet how I'll make it cheery and fun in here.

We're grateful for the chance to call this house our home for now. Thank you Lord!

Company

2010-03-19T14:55:00.006-05:00

It's been a super fun week! Last Friday was my birthday. I had lots of fun helping the kids make a cake then enjoyed dinner at Pei Wei with AJ and the kids then shopping at a twin consignment sale. Last weekend we went to Fayetteville to spend time with Ben and Maggie and a few other great friends. The kids laughed so much while playing with their doggy cousin Tusk. It kind of makes us want a dog, but only kind of.

This week has brought some fun people to Little Rock. We had family pictures taken by a high school friend of AJ's who was in town from California. A college friend, Meredith, from Kansas came through last night, and we loved catching up with her over dinner, games, and of course some music. And the Smiths (some dear friends from Midland who grew up in Little Rock) are here for Spring Break. This morning the kids and I went to the zoo with them, and tomorrow we get to have dinner with them! The fun continues...my parents will be here this weekend to spend their spring break with us. We're so excited!

Drew is doing much better now! We're almost done with the medications and breathing treatments that were prescribed as we left the hospital, and he's so happy and fun now that he's feeling better. He loves dogs and trucks and makes my day each morning when I go into his room and he says, "Hi Mommy!" Not sure why he loves to wear these necklaces, but he puts them on several times each day. I'm sure he'll grow out of it!

HOME!

2010-03-06T13:33:00.003-06:00

We're home and so happy to have Drew in a place where he can safely crawl around and play. He's adjusting to breathing treatments every 4 hours. He's been taking lots of steps today too! Thank you, Lord, for his improved health and for family who are close enough to come take care of the girls while we were at the hospital!

While I have time...other news

2010-03-04T11:16:00.009-06:00

First, a few fun Valentine's day shots. We had fun baking heart cookies and taking them to neighbors and friends, making our traditional cheesecake (this one was Chocolate Raspberry, and it's the best we've ever made), and dinner out with the kids.

The Midland house is SOLD! I can't even say "our house" anymore. Sad. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the wonderful friends who have helped us finish up with moving, cleaning the house, getting keys to the right people, etc. We're praying that we'll get to come back to Midland someday. We miss doing daily life with you.

Our offer on a house in Little Rock that we really like has been ACCEPTED. It's a short sale, so we're waiting to see what the inspector says since we get the house "as is". We have to be sure it doesn't need expensive fixes, but if everything checks out okay, we're scheduled to close March 30. I need to get a picture of it.

We now have furniture! I missed the washer and dryer the most, but it's fun to have things like the couches, dressers, the piano, etc. It's really exciting to think of really settling in the house we'll buy, but this is a very comfortable in-between.

We had fun celebrating AJ's birthday. It was simple...a painting from the girls, his favorite dinner, cake, but we had fun loving on the best hubby and daddy in the world!

We're loving being so close to AJ's family. I went to visit them while AJ went to Midland to move our stuff to Arkansas. We also went to the Little Rock zoo with Grandma, Poppie, and all the cousins last weekend and had a great time. What a treat to get together more often.

Picnic at the park after the zoo

Drew is walking! He took 7 steps then 10 steps two different days before he got sick. I think he'll take off once he's feeling better. Video to come.

Hospital

2010-03-04T10:34:00.002-06:00

Well...yesterday Drew was breathing pretty fast (about 70 breaths every minute). He's done this a few times before, and I always struggle with whether I should take him to the doctor. He always seems pretty okay besides breathing fast. Yesterday I decided I should call and talk to the nurse about it, and she said she wasn't sure if we should go to the ER or the pediatrician's office--YIKES! I convinced her to let us come to the office. They gave him a breathing treatment, which freaked the girls out! Can you believe a nurse went to another part of the office with the girls to play where they couldn't hear Drew crying? Wow! He seemed better to me, but they did a chest x-ray. The doctor came back and said his x-ray looked bad and that he was being admitted. Period. Bummer. He has lower lobe pneumonia, and she's kinda confused about why he has it. We don't have family history of asthma, allergies, etc and he hasn't had a fever. We'll see a specialist at the children's hospital once we get this pneumonia taken care of.

He was dehydrated when we got to here to the hospital, probably because he puked the day before which I thought was just a stomach bug like Jenna had this week. Because of his dehydration, they've had a terrible time drawing blood and inserting an iv. He's been stuck 11 times. One time worked but it came out three hours later. Poor thing. This morning the doc said we'll do a shot for his antibiotics instead of the iv. Yea! He'll get the shot again tomorrow morning, and we may get to go home if he's doing well.

AJ worked some yesterday but was able to be flexible and come spend some time helping. His mom drove here as soon as I called, and she's staying with the girls. What a blessing to be only two hours from family!!! AJ stayed with Drew last night while I went home to get some rest (he's so good to me!) and went to work this morning. Drew's getting a good nap now and is in pretty good spirits except for the times when he's being stuck by needles. Thanks for praying. We're ready to go home but trusting that God's always taken care of our needs in the past and will continue to do that in this situation.

Gift Ideas

2010-02-15T21:10:00.000-06:00

I'm always looking for great gift ideas, so I wanted to share two of our favorites that we found through recommendations from other friends.

The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones (ZonderKidz): This is a bit advanced for our girls, but AJ and I are always trying to talk them into picking these stories when we read, because we love them! These are the bible stories you usually find in a kids compilation with an unusual, refreshing perspective. It's not just the facts but someone who clearly loves Jesus and wants to communicate the beauty of the stories of the Bible. The subtitle is "Every story whispers his name" and she finds a way to show how each story is a hint of what's to come with Jesus or a picture of God's heart. When I finish a story, I want to read the next to find out what will happen! There's lots of words and some pictures but sometimes it's not enough to hold the girls' attention. We'll keep reading them, and I think they'll like this book for many years. If not, AJ and I will just keep it in our room!

Hullabaloo: It's the best game we've found for the girls' current age (3). There's a voice that gives instructions and pads you spread out around the floor. The voice says things like "spin to a green" "put your nose on a musical instrument" "sit on a triangle". Then at some point it says "FREEZE" and asks if anyone is standing on a particular picture. That person gets to take a bow or do a funky monkey dance. So fun! You should get it if you've got little ones and like playing games.

Birthday girls

2010-02-09T15:13:00.012-06:00

Hello sweet birthday girls! It was fun celebrating your birthday with you!

Breakfast: Blueberry muffins and their favorite present of the day--pink and purple scissors!

The Wonder Place. It's a super fun kids' play place...we were worried they wouldn't be open because of the snow, but they were and we had the place to ourselves.

Lydia as the animal doctor

Drew loved the play houses and the doors to open and close

Jenna catches a scarf floating out of some air filled tubes.

The mall to go to a candy store. Several weeks ago the girls saw cotton candy in a book, and I foolishly suggested that they have some for their birthday. That's a hard thing to find in the middle of the winter, but the candy store came through for us.

Home for lunch: Campbell's Dora Chicken Noodle Soup

Naps

Dinner: Spaghetti with a pink cake with an L for Lydia and a purple cake with a J for Jenna

Baths and skype with Grammy and Grandpa

In between the planned events, they loved the phone calls and messages that they received! A few favorites were their cousins singing them Happy Birthday and a text with Tusk (Ben and Maggie's dog) holding a happy birthday sign!

Good news!

2010-02-09T14:52:00.005-06:00

We've had a good last couple weeks! We found out our van needed a new transmission, but God provided and made it much less expensive than we initially expected. We chose a rental house in Little Rock, and AJ's dad and I made it safely to Little Rock. We're back together as a family! Yea! Then, two days after we moved into our rental, we got an offer on our house in Midland. Yea again! It's under contract right now, and we're just waiting on the inspection and appraisal before we get super excited. However, it's looking promising, and it's so much fun to seriously look for a house to buy here in Little Rock. We'll probably put an offer on a house once the inspection is completed and we decide which house we like best. We have have to pay for our 3 month lease for a short time while we're not living here, but we're okay with that. Right now we're favoring a house that is in the "pre-foreclosure status" which means it could take some extra time to get the deal to go through.

It feels so good to be doing daily life with AJ. We've started meeting some people, visiting churches together, all the new town things. We miss Midland but are committed to making the most of our time here. This is our empty living room, which the kids love because there's more room for running around. We borrowed a bed for us and the girls and a table. Otherwise, the house has no furniture. Don't get worried about the bars on our windows...we're in a safe neighborhood and aren't real sure why they decided to do that. Since we arrived, we've been battling a stomach bug which forced us to change our plans for a fun weekend to AJ's sister's house to see all his family. We're still not 100% better and are hoping that comes soon.

AJ continues to love his job...what a blessing! He works about 40-45 hours/week, and his hours are different each week. It's nice, though, that he's only gone 2-3 nights per week and doesn't have to bring work home with him! He's also pursuing a part-time job at Kaplan as a standardized test tutor which means he's been getting to take the tests himself to prove he's capable. He loves that opportunity and looks forward to that job as a way to bring in a little extra money.

That's the update from us. Birthday post coming soon!

Haircuts

2010-01-27T15:54:00.007-06:00

Friday was haircut day. My mom met us at Kiddy Kutters then we went to dinner at a yummy mexican restaurant. Oh...I'm going to miss my parents a lot.

This was the girls' first haircut. I want to cut it myself in the future, but thought I'd go to a professional to learn.

Before:

During: Lydia got a little scared when the lady tried to scoot her.

Jenna went after Lydia and wasn't scared if she got to eat a sucker!

After: You can't tell much difference, but I think it looks much better to have it even and to have the yucky ends off.

This was Drew's second haircut. I wanted to watch a pro do it before I attempt it myself (since I won't have the luxury of just going to ask my mom to do it.)
Before:

Don't know what happened to his during picture, but he did awesome! He sat on my lap and just studied all the new, fun things to look at.
After:

A quick side note...our van's transmission did need replaced--yikes--so expensive! But...God has taken great care of us, and we're reminded of the blessing of generous people and His provisions for us. AJ's dad flies to Colorado tomorrow, and we'll leave as soon as the weather permits and the van is ready! We're so excited to be together as a family for good!

Colorado Highlights

2010-01-23T12:16:00.013-06:00

My parents are super fun! Here's one of several crafty, creative ideas my mom had to do with the girls.

Time with family has been the greatest part of these last two months. The kids have really amazing grandparents and thoroughly enjoyed every part of being with my parents. They have been so creative, patient, and sacrificial in their love for us.

This week my grandma decided to come from Kansas for a quick visit. It's been super nice to have an extra pair of hands during the day as I prepare for our trek to Arkansas. We're leaving at the end of the week if our van is repaired by then.

One of the many games played with Grandpa. "You sleep. I wake you with a kiss." We've also enjoyed the chance to go to lots of my dad's basketball games while we've been here.

Uncle Tim and Aunt Brenda came to visit over New Year's with their three kids and a fiancee. We had a wonderful time with them!

Lydia's sitting with Becca. The girls can't wait to be Becca's special helpers (flower girls) when she marries Andrew in May. This family was so sweet about playing with our kids and seemed to really enjoy it!

A kiss for Molly, my high school friend Jaci's little girl

We got to play with Megan Paisley several times. Megan's mommy had another baby while we were here, so it was such a treat to meet Baby Anna!

We spent one day in Denver visiting my college friend Tammy and her two little girls. Unfortunately, this is the only picture I took, but this was the other newborn of a friend that I got to meet during our months in Colorado.

Daddy came to visit in mid-January. A definite highlight! None of us could get enough of time wtih him!

I did not pose the girls for this picture!

Kansas and Little Rock

2010-01-07T15:42:00.017-06:00

When AJ and I parted ways, we didn't expect to spend Christmas together. So...it was a huge thrill when his new boss (John Spenst for anyone who knows him from JBU) offered for AJ to take some time off around Christmas to see his family. It was so sweet to have time together to enjoy our kids, look at houses, hold hands, just be together.

My parents graciously drove the kids and I to Kansas to see family then to Little Rock.

First we went to my Grandma Cornett's and got to see some family. Poor Drew was sick that day and cried more than I ever remember in a single day of his life. Everyone was so kind and fun with the girls. My cousin Trevor was a big hit with them. We all think he's absolutely hilarious, and the girls agreed that he's tons of fun!

Next we went to Uncle Mike's and Aunt Cindy's to celebrate Christmas with my dad's side of the family. All but three family members were there, which is a huge and unusual feat. We had a great time catching up with everybody!

Daddy! The girls ran to hug him, giggling all the way, when we arrived in Little Rock and went to see him at Chick-fil-A. There's lots of Spanish speakers at this store, so AJ taught the girls to say, "Mucho gusto!" when they met people. Daddy just makes life more fun.

Christmas eve. We made gingerbread houses again since we had so much fun with that project in Colorado.

Christmas day. We made sugar cookies that morning while we waited for Grandma and Poppie (AJ's parents) to come over from Ozark. They had to deal with some icy roads, but it was really fun to spend the day with both sets of the kids' grandparents!

Drew helps Poppie open a gift

Love that look of surprise and excitement in Jenna!

Lydia wears one gift while opening others

Daddy helps Drew learn to play with one of his new gifts.

Our first attempt at a good family picture

About an hour later a good picture came much more easily.

Before we headed back to Colorado, we got to spend an afternoon with AJ's family in Ozark. Here's four of the six grandkids waiting to open gifts.

Drew's birthday

2010-01-04T12:15:00.009-06:00

We've begun out adventure of trying to help a little boy with a birthday near Christmas feel special near his big day. This year we extended our celebration for about a week. Drew got to open a present from my parents here in Colorado before we left (no room in the van to pack big presents!). Then, we were celebrating Christmas with my dad's side of the family on his actual birthday (the 21st). He didn't feel real great that day (he had a stomach bug before and while we were in Kansas), so we mostly just gave him lots of birthday hugs and waited to be with Daddy for the main celebration.

Then once we were in Arkansas and finished Christmas celebrations, we made a day of celebrating Drew on the 26th. Here's Drew with his caterpillar cake. He loved every bite of his cupcake!

We're trying to make a tradition out of going somewhere unique and special as a family to celebrate our kids' birthdays. So far we've done a Childrens' Museum, a zoo. For Drew we went to a really neat place in Little Rock called The Wonder Place. It's a place for kids ages 0-8 to play and imagine and discover. AJ's parents gave us a Christmas gift that will enable us to return for free a few times as a family. We love it there! I also love Daddy/Son pictures and just can't take enough of them!

They had a water station complete with high chairs so the little ones can reach. Grammy helps Drew figure it out.

They had a fun dress-up area. Drew didn't like dressing up, but I thought it would make a cute picture so I made him wear a dinosaur hat.

The sand station

Drew's favorite was the Toddler Area (for ages 0-2) where kids can crawl or walk around and go down slides, open and close doors, and explore.

This boy loves to go up and down stairs.

Happy birthday, little buddy! Or boobie as the girls like to call him (I'm working on eliminating that nickname!). We love you so much. Your life brings us such joy and we're so grateful for the gift of having you as our son.

Colorado

2010-01-03T15:52:00.010-06:00

My parents are graciously hosting the kids and I until we have a place to live in Little Rock. This is the view from their front yard! We've gotten some good use out of our heavy coats and gloves. I'm hoping for a big snow while we're here. So far they've been pretty small.

I don't know why, but my kids have struggled to sleep well here. Jenna especially seems to be scared regularly, and it's hard to know how to deal with it in the middle of the night. Sometimes I hear her in her bed singing a song I taught her: "When I am afraid, I will trust in you." Most of the time though, she just screams and cries and says she wants her mommy. I'm praying for patience, peace, and wisdom in this season of transition.

Drew got his first haircut at 11 months by Grammy.

I love that Lydia's tongue is out! Jenna loved this project so much that we decided to do it again with Daddy when we saw him for Christmas.

Focus on the Family (where my mom works) has an awesome FREE place for kids to play. Drew loved crawling through this log and peeking his head out. He's a cutie!

Grammy spent her lunch break with us at the play area. What a great place to sit and read!

Lydia only liked Mrs. Santa, but Jenna wanted to sit on the laps of both Mrs. Santa and Mr. Santa. She even wanted to tell Santa about Baby Jesus. They have loved singing Christmas songs, acting out the story, and playing with the doll here that they've named Baby Jesus. Somehow the part of the story that they got stuck on was the mean king who wanted to hurt Jesus.

Merry Christmas!

Saying goodbye

2010-01-03T15:44:00.008-06:00

It's time to catch up! AJ started his new job at the Markham Chick-fil-A in Little Rock on Nov. 30. The kids and I are living with my parents in Colorado while we wait for the house to sell. This is definitely one of the hardest things I've done in life so far...waiting for our house to sell, leaving Midland--a place and people that we loved dearly, being apart from my husband without a definite end date, waiting for God's timing.

The night before we parted ways. This kid loves his daddy and his grandpas. I love how clearly the diferences are between him as a boy and our girls!

Thanks for taking care of our house while we wait, Jantzes! So sad we couldn't keep all 6 in the picture!

We talk about you a lot, Voskamp girls!

The Shumans hosted us for Thanksgiving, and we had such a great time spending some last quality time with our dear friends.

Jenna took this picture. We love the Shumans!

Some friends hosted a great goodbye party on one of our last Sundays in Midland. We were so blessed by a large group of wonderful people and their reminders that God knows what He's doing and to trust Him. We have been so loved and learned so much from those people. We miss you dearly.

A big change

2009-11-12T15:11:00.000-06:00

Friends and family-
There are those of you who know some or all of what I'm about to relay, so I apologize for any boring details that you've heard already. We want to bring you up to speed with our family, so you'll know what's next for us and will know how to pray for us. Hopefully, you'll find at least something in this correspondence that is new information to you (maybe it's just this random fact--insects outnumber humans 1,000,000:1).

I (A.J.) retired as a teacher in May 2009 to pursue a future with Chick-fil-A restaurant in hopes of someday owning a CFA store of my own. I know that a fast food chicken restaurant is a strange calling, but have come to realize that such a place is a great blend of the type of work and ministry opportunities that I love. I have filled a management position at the local CFA in Midland since this summer, but I have realized that this particular store wasn't the best fit for my skills and interests. I still firmly believe that my passions and abilities very much line up with the ideals of the company, and have been in pursuit of other leadership opportunities at other CFA restaurants throughout the country. Recently, our family has traveled to some of those restaurants in areas closer to where we have roots (namely, Colorado and Arkansas) to interview in several stores where we think I could thrive. Those interviews went very well indeed. It looks like we have really appealing and exciting options at several places in Arkansas (Bentonville, Little Rock, and Rogers), and the ball is now in our court to choose between those locations. Each of them offers slightly different opportunities/advantages, so we are currently weighing those things and seeking God's direction. Will you pray for clarity in these decisions?

One thing that we do know at this point is that this is all coming together very swiftly. If all goes as planned (when does it ever?), I will start at a new place as soon as November 30th. I am wrapping up my time at the local CFA (finishing next week), and then will have Thanksgiving week to finalize as many details as possible here and line up as much as we can there (wherever there is), and to say our goodbyes to loved ones in Midland. Most likely, I will start in Arkansas by myself, and live with someone in the area, and Megan and our kids will head to Colorado Springs to be with her folks while we try to find a specific place to settle. Not surprisingly, we are experiencing a full range of emotions--fear, anxiety, excitement, doubt, sorrow, worry, relief, etc.--but we're confident that God's hand is in this, and that He'll bless any decision so long as we do what we can to honor Him and be faithful wherever He has us. It is agonizing to think about leaving this community/school/church that we've grown to love over the 6.5 years we've been here, but we also don't want to be Midland/MCA/MBC worshipers; we want to serve and follow the God who presides over all these things, Who so knowingly and lovingly provides such good gifts to His children.

Finally, we covet your prayers in this process, as we sort through all the big decisions ahead. We may call on some of you who are local to help us pack boxes and tie up loose ends when that time comes, but that probably won't be until the end of the month. We'd like to offer a heartfelt thanks for your overwhelming and steady support and love through this process. God is good, all the time.

Vote for glasses

2009-10-28T23:01:00.003-05:00

Lydia broke her first pair of glasses, and I'm trying to decide between these purple frames and her old pink frames. Votes?

Hopefully there will be a lot more updates coming soon.

purple

pink

Dress up

2009-09-30T22:33:00.012-05:00

Wow! I almost went a whole month without a single post. Better hurry and get something finished tonight!

The Snells handed down some dress up clothes that the girls are thoroughly enjoying! They had the perfect opportunity to wear them last weekend for our precious family friend Julie's 18th birthday party. It was a $5 formal, so Jenna and Lydia fit right in with their new favorite clothes!

Julie and some of her biggest fans

They love to dance with these clothes on!

Nice heels, Lydi!

And here's a few more of our highlights of September.

We've started going to story time at the library once a week, and the girls love it! They read a story, sing songs, and do a fun craft. An added bonus is that their friends Joe and Will come too! Here's Lydia and Joe reading the books they picked out. This was NOT posed! Adorable!

Wow--they're good looking!

AJ's been working some crazy shifts like 3 am to 3 pm lately, so Lydia likes to take advantage of the extra opportunities to snuggle with Daddy. The two of them are the best snugglers in our house!

Love this smile!

My parents came for Labor Day weekend, and we had a great time with them as usual. Drew had lots of smiles for Grandpa.

Such a sweet picture! Lydia and Grammy (her new nickname for Grandma--we'll see if it lasts!)

Jenna's funny face

2009-08-31T22:11:00.003-05:00

Jenna recently started copying the look I give her when I don't approve of what just happened but don't know how I want to respond yet...wet panties, taking some decorative flowers from their place to play with, etc., etc. We now call it her funny face, and she likes to stare people down with her look until they laugh. Sometimes she includes a "Mommy" in a gruff voice in an attempt to make me crack--it works every time!

Loved

2009-08-31T21:28:00.008-05:00

Lately I've been really overwhelmed by several people in our lives who take a really big interest in our family, especially our kids. Here's some recent pictures of a few of them and a couple stories.

Amy talked to me at church last Spring and asked if she could be our nanny for the summer. I told her I'd love having her around my house but hadn't been budgeting for a nanny. First she offered to do it as her ministry (wow!) then her mom said she'd pay her daughter to work for me (wow again!). She came two or three times a week for about three hours and gave me time to clean, run errands, or spend one-on-one time with one of the kids. She showed so much initiative and became great at knowing the little things she could do around the house to really lighten my load. Amy has now started her freshman year of high school, so we don't get to see her nearly as much. We enjoy catching some volleyball games and seeing her at church.

Julie and I have been meeting for mentoring/discipleship since she was in eighth grade. Over the years, she has begun to feel more like a part of our family (like a niece) than a student/babysitter/girl I meet with. Julie's now a senior and super busy but still making time to be with us. She's so mature, thoughtful, generous...a precious friend to me! We're doing Beth Moore's "A Woman's Heart, God's Dwelling Place" together this year, and I'm looking forward to all that I'll learn from her! I think this picture of Julie with our kids may show up in her senior slide show, which shows you what a big part of her life she considers our kids to be!

This is Caleb and Leslie. Caleb's the guy we named Drew after. They were both MCA students that AJ really connected with, and now they're dating! Leslie's parents moved away, but she came back to visit and we got to have her stay with us. It was a big treat to have so much time with them, and they are a definite example of people who think the smallest things our kids do are impressive. Caleb says "That's awesome!" every time Drew stands up, the girls sing their ABCs...don't know if I've ever seen a college guy be so enamored by little kids before.

We're truly loved and feel so grateful and humbled.

It's the first day of school

2009-08-24T15:17:00.006-05:00

...and for the first time since AJ and I were 5, it doesn't affect our lives.

It's kinda sad for me, but AJ's just focused on what he's doing at Chick-fil-A. I'm just so thankful for the privilege of being home with my kids instead of heading out the door to a classroom full of kids. I try to thank AJ at least once a day for going to work and providing a way for me to stay home. Of course, it's plenty of work, but it's the work I really want to be spending my time on!

Drew started waving a bit today, so here's a video of his new fun tricks.

Lydia has had her glasses for almost a week now. She's doing a great job of keeping them on, and Jenna has had no problem accepting that she doesn't have glasses like her sister. The doctor says her vision is fine, but this should relax her focusing to help her eyes quit crossing. For now, I just think she's a cutie in her little pink glasses!

We had a super fun weekend. We went to a minor league baseball game with lots of church friends, and a sweet lady at church painted lots of the kids' faces. She's so good!

Jenna the Princess and Lydia the Kitty
Hey--I don't have to label the girls anymore! You can tell them apart!

The kids have been really sweet and loving with each other lately. Drew smiles a lot when the girls give him attention (with some occassional laughing and hair pulling). He's learning to give them kisses, and they just tend to be very sweet and thoughtful with him.

Drew likes to stand and play for a bit but only when we stand him up. No pulling up yet (thankfully!)

One funny story: When the girls aren't sharing or any of the many other issues in a typical day, I sometimes say, "That's not sweet." So the other day Jenna was getting into something and I told her no. She replied with a funny, disapproving look and said, "Mommy, that's not sweet. You no tell me no!"

Hmmm...looks like she has some learning to do about the way life goes. :)

I have some more fun pictures from the last couple weeks. Hopefully I'll post them soon!

Update

2009-08-04T14:12:00.011-05:00

Here's some updates from the last couple weeks.

Love my little boy! Lately, he's busy rolling around getting into things and also cut his first two bottom teeth last week. His toothy grin is precious!

He loves zucchini, peas, squash, peaches, avacado...everything but bananas so far. This is a picture after a bite of bananas. "Yuck, Mom!"

Swimming at AJ's new boss's house at a Chick-fil-A staff party.

If you can't tell, Drew's in a high chair and the girls are being the mommies. Obviously. :)

Lydia with Leila and Elena

We had a great time with Grandma Perea here! She stayed busy playing, helping around the house, and doing several projects for us. Oh, and taking pictures...how could I forget?

Lydia enjoys one of Poppie's famous foot rubs.

Poppie time. He also had very few moments when he was laying around. He helped AJ with some wiring projects, refinished a dresser, helped me with cleaning, and enjoyed the kids--especially his buddy Drew.

.
And here's our little Lydia whose eyes seem to be crossing more and more as the days go on. We have an appointment to see the eye doctor in a couple weeks. Yesterday she left them crossed for several hours in a row, but today they've only crossed for a few short moments. Maybe the difficulties in telling the girls apart will be over if Lydia needs glasses!

Summer fun

2009-07-13T15:34:00.010-05:00

We're enjoying our summer days here in Midland! AJ started on July 1 at Chick-fil-A, so we're adjusting to all that means for our entire family. We've also had a great time with some visitors and are looking forward to AJ's parents coming in a few days.

Drew plays with Grandpa. Don't mind all the laundry in the background.

Drew's loving solids so far!

My mom made these adorable dresses for the girls. It's a great bonus to have a mom that's such a great seamstress!

Twin group--so fun!

Drew tries on Uncle Ben's Arkansas Baseball hat

Uncle Ben is so much fun!

Our kids love time with Uncle Ben and Aunt Maggie, and we're so glad to have a brother and sister who are such precious friends of ours.

Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-A--AJ was such a good sport to wear this costume all day!

The cute conversations have begun

2009-07-01T14:01:00.003-05:00

Just as I was closing the door to the girls' room for the night one time last week, we had this interchange:

Jenna: "Mom"
Mommy: "Yes?"
Jenna: "Um...um...um...(trying to stall so I wouldn't close the door) You're the bomb."
Mommy: "Oh, you're so sweet!" (I go give her a hug and kiss) "I love you."
Lydia: (watching) "Mom, you're the bomb dot com."

Precious! This was the first time they'd said it without prompting from AJ, and it was definitely the highlight of my week.

We also recently overheard this between the girls:
L: "Look, Jenna, purple. Your favorite color!" (bringing J something purple)
J: "Thank you Lydia!"
L: "You're welcome."

Wow--manners and thoughtfulness without a reminder--progress!

One more. AJ had this conversation with Jenna recently:

AJ: "Jenna, Daddy's getting ready for work."
J: "Daddy loves Jenna and Lydia!" (This is a common phrase at our house. The girls ask where Daddy is, and I say, "Daddy's at work. Why does Daddy go to work?" They answer, "He loves us.")
AJ: "Yeah, of course. That's why I go to work--because I love you."
J: Pause...thinking..."Daddy die on cross?"
AJ: "Nope, only Jesus died on the cross. He did it because he loves you very much."
J: "Jesus get owies on the cross?"
AJ: "Yes, he got big owies on the cross."
J: "I kiss Jesus owies."

Father's Day

2009-06-22T10:59:00.005-05:00

We had a great time celebrating Father's Day all weekend. Here's a few pictures and videos of our fun family times together.

Love, love, love this picture and these people!

Breakfast in bed--check out all those crazy curls for all three of them!

And a sweet one of Drew just because I like it!

Here's a video of the girls singing "Happy Daddy's Day!"

Oregon and California

2009-06-19T14:09:00.016-05:00

From Colorado, we set off on our wild trip to the west coast. Knowing this was our last long stretch of vacation time for a while, AJ dreamed up a big vacation for us. Overall, we had a great time together and have lots of neat memories and pictures. AJ was super Dad the whole trip...serving us all so tirelessly. It was fun to have so much time together as a family. Here's some of my favorite pictures from the trip.

Taking a break from the car. The kids and I drove just under 6000 miles during these four weeks, and they all were amazing travelers! This was one of the first times Drew laughed at the girls.

Crater Lake National Park in Oregon

Redwoods National Park in California
Notice that AJ has Drew in the front pack and Jenna in the backpack.

Lydia does the traditional "hug the huge tree" pose

Sister love on the beautiful northern California coast

Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco

Lydia's tired enough to sleep in the back pack

AJ hiked up a pretty steep mountain with Jenna on his back and pushing Drew in the stroller. He says it was worth it for lunch at a beautiful waterfall.

I love this one! Drew's all bundled up for the night.

Yosemite Falls at Yosemite National Park (California)

This was on our way out of Yosemite. The coldest it got on the nights we were camping was the high 40s, but they were predicting 29 for the night that we left. I couldn't stop mentioning how glad I was to not be camping another night.

Sitting up!

2009-06-18T10:06:00.006-05:00

Drew started sitting up last week! Good job, buddy!

And this is the closest we've gotten to coordinating outfits for all the kids, so I had to do a photo shoot! Drew's adorable outfit is from Ben and Maggie (thanks guys!), and AJ bought the girls' dresses on his trip. I think it's cute how much he likes to shop for his girls!

Jenna (L) , Drew , Lydia (R)

Colorado and Wyoming

2009-06-17T14:16:00.010-05:00

After our week in Kansas, we spent a week in Colorado with my parents. My mom took the entire week off work, so we had lots of time to play. We invited a few high school friends to my parents' to catch up, had pictures taken at Target, went to parks, swam, went to the zoo, and just played at their house. It is so relaxing to be at my mom and dad's. It's the place where I feel the least amount of responsibilities. Thanks for being so good to us, Mom and Dad!

Thursday I drove to Denver to pick up AJ. It was great to have Daddy back! We all were so glad to see him. Then, Saturday we drove to Cheyenne to visit AJ's extended family. Here's a few pictures of some highlights.

My mom hosted a mother-daughter brunch for two of my high school friends and their kids and moms (some good friends of my mom's). Here's the grandmas with the grandbabies.

Some other high school friends came out for dinner: Lindsay, Melissa, and Jaci

Lydia loved having Grandma tickle her!

Lydia (L) and Jenna (R) pose in their new outfits from my parents.

Drew's first time to swim, and he loved it!

It was a rainy day at the zoo, but we still had a good time!

Aunt Patsy manning the kids' table. These are some of AJ's cousins' kids.

Gabrielle was our flower girl at our wedding. Now I just wish she lived in Midland so she could be our babysitter. She was so sweet with Drew.

Kansas

2009-05-19T23:45:00.027-05:00

AJ left last Sunday on the MCA American History trip, so I decided to take my kids to see family. My brother flew to Midland for a job then helped me drive to Kansas. We had a great time with grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, and cousins!

My brother who definitely wins "Uncle of the Century" for spending an entire week helping me with my kids

Lydia rides the "tractor" with Great Grandma. They were too scared to ride the big tractor with Uncle Jack.

Jenna and Great Grandma

AJ's grandpa meets Drew

AJ's grandma meets Drew. Thanks for driving all the way from Nebraska to see us!

Grandma Doris reads the girls a story

Grandpa Tony and Drew

Grandma Doris meets Drew

Aunt Connie got lots of smiles out of Drew

Lydia wanted to sit with Uncle Paul too!

Uncle Jack had all the kids' attention

Aunt Jan came to meet Drew too

I thought the girls would be shy with Uncle Ken, but they loved sitting on his lap and laughed a lot!

Great Grandma and Drew at the park

The girls with my cousin Elyssa, who we got to go watch graduate.

Aunt Cindy and Uncle Mike came for graduation too

My cousin Naasha was a great help with my kids. I only wish she could come babysit in Midland!

Shade and Chance

It was a fabulous surprise to see Aunt Kathleen and my cousin Carlos walk in with the kids!

Sorry for the forever long post. I'm so thankful for the chance we had to catch up with so much of my family and wanted to document it here.

Cute

2009-04-28T11:33:00.009-05:00

We're having a much better week this week than last. Drew is getting past his cold, Jenna's pooping in the potty again, so I'm a pretty happy mom. I'm also uploading a video of Drew in his bouncy seat and the girls playing "mommy" with each other, complete with an offer to nurse! If you're interested, click here.

After almost a month, I think the girls may be potty trained!

Jenna (the baby) sitting on Lydia (the mommy's) lap. They nurse, burp, change diapers, rock, sing...just call if you'd like them to babysit!

Feeling better after a hard week of major congestion

Drew's beginning to like his Bumbo seat!

Jenna loves to hold Drew and is getting much better at it.

Thanks for the cute outfit, Ben and Maggie!

Easter

2009-04-14T22:06:00.004-05:00

We had a fun Easter weekend!

It was fun to color eggs with the girls. They did well but didn't enjoy the delived eggs we made with our pretty eggs.

Sweet boy in his cute Easter shirt. His daddy even gave in and wore a matching shirt! I don't know how I forgot a father/son pic.

We ate lunch on our own--yum! Then some friends came over for dinner that night.

Jenna's ready to go find some eggs!

"Hi egg!" (Lydia)

My attempt at an artistic picture.

In addition to the egg traditions, it was fun to hear the girls answer these questions:

Why did Jesus die on the cross?
"He loves Jenna, Lydia, Leila, Joe..." (they'd name several of their friends each time)

Today is Easter and we're celebrating that Jesus is
"ALIVE!"

Thank you, God, for the sacrifice of your precious Son.

First laugh

2009-04-08T08:40:00.003-05:00

Last night we discovered that Drew is ticklish. This was our first time to hear him laugh so much. We love being his parents!

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him

2009-03-31T15:10:00.002-05:00

This is now called the "Grace Song" at our house, because we pointed out Lydia's middle name in it. They love singing it, and the "Hope Song" (a Switchfoot song called Only Hope). They both can often being heard singing this phrase over and over to themselves as they play, eat, tee-tee, anything: "Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him." Thanks, Jenna and Lydia, for the great reminders throughout the day. I want that to be the theme of my life, and I want to remember to tell Jesus I trust Him as often as I hear it from your sweet little voices.

Spring Break

2009-03-25T14:28:00.014-05:00

We had a great time in Arkansas, taking full advantage of AJ's last Spring Break as a teacher. Drew met his Aunt Alissa, Uncle, Kevin, and cousin Brett. We spent time in Tulsa, Fayetteville, Siloam Springs, and Ozark, and even made time for hiking. The driving went very smoothly, and we had a great time with friends and family. Ben and Joanne got lots of great pictures while we were together, so it's hard to pick favorites. Here's a few to capture our week.

We spent the weekend with AJ's entire family. It was fun to be together. Here's Drew and Aunt Alissa.

After a girl cousin bath, they all wrapped up and walked around like penguins.

Brett loving on Drew. Drew liked him so much that he gave his cousin some sweet smiles.

Drew and sweet Sully Christians (Rosa's baby)

Precious college friends Rosa and Angie holding my kiddos. I still can't believe I have three!

Drew knows this was the guy he was named after! He had huge smiles for him!

Hanging out on the porch swing with Poppie

Grandma lets Drew rest while they enjoy the waterfall

Dirty! Lydia (L) / Jenna (R)

Poppie's little buddy. They spent a lot of time together throughout the week.

I didn't even have to carry any of my kids on our hike. We were so glad to have extra time with Ben since he was on Spring Break too!

Great Weekend!

2009-03-09T11:22:00.012-05:00

Drew: 2 1/2 months He's beginning to love to sleep with his right hand by his face and sometimes sucks on his fist.

The girls recently had the idea to push each other (not just their babies) around in the doll strollers. They think it's pretty hilarious! Here's Lydi pushing Jenna.

For anyone who hasn't seen their bed heads recently. :) Lydia (L) / Jenna (R)

At the Junior/Senior Banquet with Julie, who we now call our adopted niece. She also watched our kids the night before so we could go see Les Miserables at the community theater! What a great birthday present, Julie! Thanks!

Taking a milk break together

Bubbles! Thanks for the cute outfits, Great-Grandma Cornett!

Sweet smile. AJ says he smiles with his eyes.

It looks like he's laughing in this one.

We had a lot of fun this weekend. We got some things done around the house, enjoyed our kids, and had two date nights. We leave Friday for Arkansas, so we're looking forward to that family time.

Smiles and coos

2009-03-02T21:47:00.007-06:00

We've loved these super warm days for taking walks and playing outside. One day this week, the girls were posing Drew, Kate and Isabelle (their baby dolls) and themselves for pictures then asking me to snap a picture with my phone. Here's one of Lydia's poses.

Jenna was wearing the sunglasses and walking around the house saying, "Cool dude!" Then she had the idea that Drew should have the chance to be a cool dude.

Drew's smiling lots these days, but it is so hard to capture it with the camera. This is the best smile pic I have so far. Then, there's a video of his sweet coos and smiles. He brings us so much joy!

Jenna and Lydia turn 2!

2009-02-11T15:12:00.014-06:00

We had a really fun weekend celebrating the girls' birthday! Saturday we drove to Abilene for a trip to the zoo. We spent more time in the car than we did at the zoo, but the girls' smiles and laughs as well as the pictures and memories were well worth it. The highlights were the monkeys (always fun) and the giraffes because the girls got to feed them crackers.

Sunday I attempted a "kitty cat cake." I was very happy that it turned out okay, and even though the girls didn't recognize it at first, they were excited once I explained my work of art. :) They also enjoyed opening some gifts including tricycles, clothes, and a Bert and Ernie doll (similar to Dad's beloved Ernie doll from his childhood).

I look back on that day with some sadness. The same day we celebrated our girls turning two was the day that some friends from my middle school years lost their baby. Cora was 11 months old when her parents lost her to cancer. Two weeks before they went to the doctor for a routine visit and learned their baby had cancer. Their loss has been a vivid reminder of the importance of treasuring each day.

I like this picture because it proves I can get someplace with all three of my kids.

Drew thoroughly enjoyed his first trip to the zoo

Lydia feeds the giraffe

Jenna was hesitant at first, but she eventually got brave enough

Can you tell it was windy that day?

AJ and I both had moms who made great cakes for our birthdays, so this is a very important Mom skill in my mind.

Lydia's turn to blow out the candles

Yum!

AJ shows Jenna the fun way to ride, especially since their legs aren't quite long enough yet.

Happy birthday, precious girls! We love you.

Drew's time with the ladies

2009-02-11T14:56:00.008-06:00

Several of my sweet Midland friends hosted a shower for Drew and me. Drew was surrounded by women, and I was blessed and humbled by the effort to throw a shower and be there as well as so many generous gifts. It was a fun time to be with friends, and I've had fun putting Drew's new things in his closet.

Most of the hostesses--thanks friends!

Our belated Christmas update (blame the tardiness on the new kid)

2009-01-31T21:07:00.004-06:00

Since our biggest news happened so close to Christmas, we decided to hold off and send our Christmas letters late (and because I'm cheap and wanted to use the same postage for a birth announcement and a Christmas letter). AJ always writes a great letter, so here it is for anyone who hasn't yet seen it.

...Then Samuel took a stone and set it up...and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” 1 Samuel 7:12

Here follows a brief retelling of some of the events in our lives over the past year or so. It's my best effort to set up a family Ebenezer. Bear with me...

Megan continues to find great fulfillment in the ups and downs of being a full-time mom. When people ask her if she works, I usually try to interrupt her and say, “Yes, she just doesn't get paid anymore.” She is a great mom and keeps the house in great shape, all while participating in many other events: Bible studies, mom's group, social events with other moms, baby showers, discipling Julie (now a junior at MCA), teaching piano lessons, playing with the church worship team, and more. Occasionally, I try my hand at just watching the kids, and still can't quite figure out how she accomplishes anything else during the day.

I (A.J.) have enjoyed another year of teaching at Midland Classical Academy, trying to infuse into myself and my students a love for God and learning the subjects of math, science, and—for my first time—Greek. One highlight is the continued relationships I have enjoyed with MCA graduates, many of whom gather in our home over holidays for large-scale games of Speed Scrabble. Tutoring, ping-pong, accountability group, coaching cross country, Adventure Club trips, helping MCA seniors with fundraising, and a summer job at Chick-fil-A have also kept me busy this year.

Jenna and Lydia have certainly grown and changed much over the past year, a fact that's apparent to those of you who've seen them in living color or on various websites. They are quickly descending on the beginning of the “terrific twos”, and have added so much to our lives as they enjoy following each other around the house, giving and receiving tickles, singing and dancing, and learning new words by the dozen. Even though—cough, hack—one of their parents has taught them the words for important bodily emissions, my proudest interchange with them goes something like this: “Girls, what do you think of boys?” [Pinching their noses] “Pee-yoo! Stinky!” That's right, girls. Don't you ever forget it. They are undoubtedly identical, and have caused confusion for even those who know them best. I am still considering a tattoo for each of them in a visible place like their forearm or forehead. The twins have also done a remarkable job of caring for their new brother (and their many baby dolls), by giving kisses, helping with the burping process, as well as efforts to assist in changing diapers and even attempts at nursing. Don't ask.

Andrew “Drew” Caleb Perea hit the scene just before Christmas, on Dec. 21 at 8 lbs and 19.5” tall. His middle name was largely influenced by a close family friend and former student of mine, Caleb Shelburne. It certainly is a nice bonus that the biblical character of Caleb was a man of renown, and that the name literally means “wild dog.” Well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad. He has shown to be generally tolerant of having three mothers at home (see paragraph above), is eating and sleeping pretty well. This happy boy was the best Christmas present to our family! I am excited to have another boy in the house, although three kids this young have certainly kept us quite busy thus far.

And now for a few family highlights. We have enjoyed many visits from friends and family this past year (including some extended family—who knew Midland was on the way to anything), as well as trips of our own to CO and AR for simple visits, college homecoming, and a beautiful summer wedding of brother Ben and new sis, Maggie. This summer we went to Camp Travis to train a new cook, Megan and the girls flew to CO, and we enjoyed spending time with college friends and family on a trip to Chicago, WI, and MN. As it was so close to Drew's due date, we had our first major holiday (Thanksgiving) not with our parents, but everyone more than made up for it with trips down to Midland over Christmas to meet Drew for the first time.

This past year has brought several crises and major forks in the road, as well. In all of these, God has continued to show Himself faithful. And not just because of the outcomes, either! In May, as we were packing to head off to camp, I went in to check on an uncharacteristic nighttime cry of one of the girls. It was Lydia, but we ended up stumbling upon Jenna at the beginning of a lengthy seizure that led to a hospital stay and many tests and follow-up visits. The tests came back inconclusive, which is evidently the best possible news we could have received. Looking back, it's clear that God used Jenna's twin sis to make us aware of her danger, a story that they will hear throughout their lives of the important role they each play. Space limits fuller details, but we also had some trying times when our van was stolen from our driveway soon after Thanksgiving. We were overwhelmed as God's people (in the form of church and school family) rushed to loan vehicles, car seats, etc., and were further stunned when the van was recovered 11 days later, with a couple of missing gadgets as the only losses! It'd be easy for some to chalk these events up as merely good fortune, but this is vivid evidence to us that God knows our needs even better than we do. We will cling to this promise as we soon face a big change in our lives. This school year will be my last, and I begin this summer as a part of the local Chick-fil-A team. In my new job as training coordinator and marketing director, I very much look forward to new relationships with this group of individuals, learning how to be a good businessman, and opportunities to reach out to them by showing Christ's love and instilling a sense of purpose in their roles at work and home. My hope is to operate a franchise of my own someday, perhaps in your corner of America. You may be asking, “What? Trade in a chance to mold godly young people to make chicken sandwiches and constantly smell like a peanut??” I'll only respond with a quote from Frederick Buechner, “The place where God calls us is that place where the world's deep hunger and our deep desire meet.” No pun intended.

This scene is one philosopher's attempt to illustrate two competing paradigms that each of us face during the holiday season. (I recently finished my first reading through The Complete Calvin and Hobbes.) Honestly, this conflict transcends seasons of the year and is something that man has struggled with through the ages: the battle between stopping to reflect on what truly matters and getting caught up in the daily hustle and bustle of life, stuff, and general busyness. It's clear that God has known this tendency in humanity for awhile now, as He instructs His people time and again to set up “Ebenezer” stones and recount the ways He has been faithful, in order that they don't forget. Why does God make such a big deal of us stopping to remember? Psalm 78 offers some insight (I'd encourage you to read the whole thing).

That they should make them known to their children;
That the generation to come might know them...
That they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God...
When He slew them, then they sought Him; And they returned and sought earnestly for God...
For their heart was not steadfast with Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.
But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity...For He remembered that they were but flesh...
Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember His power...

One huge theme of this passage (and many others) is that God is faithful to His people and His promises, even when we fail to keep our end of the bargain. In fleeting moments like these, I see the importance of recalling God's faithfulness. How quickly I forget these things and get so worried when a new crisis arises! I hope that you and your family can reflect on these Ebenezers in your lives, and remember often that the Creator of the universe is indeed a good God. Thank you for all you've invested in our lives over the years.

With much love—the Pereas

A.J., Megan, Jenna, Lydia, and ~~Ebenezer~~ ~~Archimedes~~ Drew

Smiling

2009-01-30T20:38:00.010-06:00

We're full of smiles at the Perea house! Drew thrilled me with his first smile tonight while we were sitting in the living room watching the girls dance and spin.

Jenna and Lydia have brought lots of smiles lately as they say "please" then "nicely" to reinforce that they should really get what they're asking for since they're asking nicely. Their Daddy has also successfully taught them to recognize burps and toots, so now I'm following up with the "excuse me" to follow their innocent admission "toot" or "burp." The girls are very proud of their freckles. They should be since it's one of the few physical features that distinguishes them from each other. Lydia's is on her cheek and Jenna's on her foot. Jenna likes her's so much that she doesn't like to wear socks so that she can see it at all times. They both love to remind us that their freckle is one of the things that makes them special. Oh, and Daddy's proudest lesson: "Girls, what do you think of boys?" "Peeyou! Stinky!" the girls reply while plugging their noses.

We are very busy but are having lots of fun enjoying are sweet kids. Here's some picture updates.

Drew: one month old
Snuggles from Lydia (L) and Jenna (R)

Jenna exercises with Auntie Gigi who she adored

This is what Lydia thinks of pictures these days.

Drew: 6 weeks old

Drew

2009-01-11T13:38:00.000-06:00

Three weeks ago today Andrew "Drew" Caleb came into our world. We are completely enjoying him and are so thankful for our precious little boy. After a tough delivery, due to a couple hours of pushing and the need for forceps to pull Drew out, I am now fully recovered. Although it was tough, I'm so thankful for a successful VBAC (no need for another c-section like I had with the girls). Drew is healthy and growing and is even beginning to sleep a little longer between feedings at night!!

Drew was born on Sunday, Dec. 21, and we have had three full weeks of help from family here at our house. They were each such a blessing, and it was a big treat to have such a fun Christmas with family even though we needed to be at home. Thanks for making the long trip, you guys! Now we're figuring out how to do life with three under two! I'm learning to trust the Lord to provide the patience, love, and strength for each moment.

There's so much to write, but I just have time for some pictures, so click here to see our Christmas pictures. I'll post my recent favorite here just for fun!

Reindeer and the Nativity

2008-12-11T10:50:00.009-06:00

At Moms' Group last weekend, Sarah hosted a craft night, and we made adorable reindeer shirts using our kids' hand and footprints. Here's the girls sporting their new shirts.

Lydia (L) / Jenna (R)

Lydia

Jenna

Here's a fun video of the girls playing with a non-breakable nativity set that they love. This is also the first week that they've put words together, so we're calling them their first sentences. It's really long...sorry. Just click here

__________________________________

What was lost is found!

2008-12-11T08:30:00.003-06:00

Our van is back! Wednesday afternoon the police called and told us they found our van parked on the side of the road about one mile from our house. It was in perfect shape, and the keys were even inside the van waiting for us! Our stroller, pack and plays, car seats, and some other small things were still in it--wow! The only things that are missing are our iPod, iPod cable, and AJ's sunglasses. We're so thankful to have our van back and to have most of the things that were inside. It's a huge blessing to not deal with the hassle of replacing our things right now as wait for our baby boy. Thanks for praying.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-05T13:14:00.004-06:00

We enjoyed our week at home over Thanksgiving even though we were sad to not spend the holiday with family. We ate our Thanksgiving meal with the Dunns, and the girls had their first chance to sit at the "kids' table" with Joe and Leila. What fun!

Then, Saturday night we forgot to move our vehicles back into the garage. Both vehicles were unlocked, and the keys were in the van. Well, Sunday morning we were about to leave for church, and we discovered that our van had been stolen. It was a stressful day, but God has been faithful to take care of all our needs. A generous couple at church is letting us borrow their suburban, and insurance will cover our loss well, whether or not the car is found. It's definitely a hassle, but we're fine and realize much worse things could happen.

I'm 37 weeks along now and doing great. We're crossing more things off our list, and I'm hoping this baby comes a little early so that he's here before Christmas. He is staying head down, and we're praying I go into labor naturally so that my VBAC attempt is more likely successful. We'll keep you posted! :)

35 Weeks

2008-11-18T15:31:00.005-06:00

I'm now 35 weeks pregnant, and everything is going great!

We had our last sonogram yesterday, and this baby boy is head down. We're especially thankful since we're attempting a natural delivery after the c-section with the girls. It was fun to watch him moving around, but he kept his hand in front of his face the entire time. I'm getting excited to hold him and see him in real life.

When I looked at this picture, I told AJ that my belly looks pointy. I think I was just used to a very round belly with room for a baby on each side. We're so glad for a smooth pregnancy so far and are getting more prepared every day to add another little one to our family.

Ready Moms

2008-11-13T13:07:00.009-06:00

We've been sick with the puke bug this week, but thankfully it was very fast. We seem to all be okay now, as long as AJ doesn't catch it at the end.

Nice hair, courtesy of Daddy! Jenna loves to smile for the camera

I almost didn't post this video, because these pajamas aren't too cute. I decided that was pretty vain and that this video is too fun to keep to myself. If you can't tell, they knock and say their name when we ask who it is. At the beginning, Jenna knows I'm filming and is busy smiling for the camera. :)

For several years before I was a mom, AJ called me (and some of my friends--you know who you are, Angie) "ready moms." We liked kids, cooking, trying to help people in mom-ish ways. Well, it looks like my girls are in training for a similar title. Here's some pictures to prove it.

Rinsing the dishes after Daddy washed them. Lydia (pink) Jenna (white)

Helping Mommy make salad and loving on Daddy (another good Mom skill)

Helping bake cookies for Julie--Lydia (purple) / Jenna (pink)

Jenna catches her baby off the slide. Both girls swinging their babies.

For anyone who noticed, yes, the girls are wearing the wrong color today. Lydia almost always wears more pink, but it just didn't work out today. Jenna had grown out of her dress that went with her sister's, so we picked a cute outfit that won't be warm enough soon. Sorry for the confusion!

Costumes

2008-11-08T20:59:00.005-06:00

Lydia (L) / Jenna (R)

Jenna the Monkey and Lydia the Bunny

Last week we went to a fall festival at MCA (where AJ teaches), and the girls got to dress up for the night. Unfortunately, I didn't bring back up batteries for the camera, so all the pictures and videos are from our fun around the house being a bunny and monkey. The only thing I forgot at home was to draw on their faces. We especially enjoyed their first attempts at jumping! Here's a video: youtube.com/ajandmegan

Big Girl Bed

2008-11-01T20:31:00.004-05:00

Today was the big day for Jenna and Lydia to move out of their cribs and begin sharing a full sized bed. I wanted the first day to be one when Daddy was home. I thought I might need some back up help. Well, the girls did great! We took the bed off the frame, put the bed in a corner, then put guards on the other sides. The goal was that they would stay in bed and hopefully sleep a bit in their first nap together. They played for the first hour and 15 minutes and seemed to love being together. They stayed in bed and didn't even fight over stuffed animals or books. Finally things got quiet, and this is what we found.

They ended up actually sleeping for a little less than two hours, and AJ and I got lots accomplished in our three hours (except that we couldn't stop peeking on them because they were so cute!) This is what I found after our three productive hours and their first try at sharing a big girl bed. Apparently they don't think they need such a big bed. Have I ever mentioned how much I love having twin girls?

Tonight they fell right to sleep! Hooray for a smooth transition to the big girl bed!

Busy October and Daddy Moments

2008-10-30T14:15:00.004-05:00

We've had a very fun and busy October. The weekend following our Arkansas trip, the girls and I rode the bus to Waco with AJ's cross country team to the state meet. We had a great time with the team, and sweet Julie Brown helped me take care of the girls since AJ was busy with the team.

The next weekend AJ went to Ft. Davis to a planetarium with his astronomy class. They had a good time together, and my parents came to visit and kept us girls company. As always, they helped us a ton and played hard with the girls. The girls love their grandpa and grandma and can even say their names now! My parents were so busy taking pictures that I didn't take time to get any of this trip. Maybe next time.

I'm now 32 weeks pregnant and doing well. I'm less comfortable especially in the constant getting up and sitting down of taking care of toddlers, but I'm thankful Baby Boy and I are staying healthy. This week I contemplated starting potty training the girls, but I feel much relief at the decision to wait until the girls are 2. Thanks for the great advice, Aunt Connie (she's owned a day care for so many years that I consider her the expert). The girls are moving to a big girl bed in the next few days, though, so I'll have to post an update on the experiment of them sharing a full sized bed.

I wanted to highlight a couple sweet Daddy moments from this month. Recently AJ was home alone with the girls and gave them a bath (that's getting a little harder for me these days)! He wasn't sure what clothes to put on, but he wanted to be sure they were warm. So...he dressed them in these coats I had sitting out in their room but left the tags on, not knowing if I was planning to return them. They looked so cute, and I couldn't help but laugh.

This is Lydia's current response when we say "smile!"

Jenna kept her hood on to be sure and stay warm

Then last night I got to go for dinner with some friends. Our friend Jenny is stuck at home for 6 months with her newborn who needs to be kept away from anyone who could get him sick, and she was making her first outing with friends while her husband took care of Baby Blane. AJ decided to take the girls on a date while I was gone. They had a great time going to Quizno's and running errands and met me at the door with big smiles on their face and a new word in their vocabulary. They can now say "date! date!" I'm guessing Daddy's trying to make them think the only person they'll ever go on dates with is him. I'm so glad my girls are growing up with such a thoughtful, loving dad who loves to spend time with them!

Arkansas Trip

2008-10-14T15:08:00.004-05:00

We spent the last few days in Arkansas visiting family and friends and attending JBU homecoming. AJ had the opportunity to sing in the Cathedral Choir again, and he loved it so much he can't stop talking about it. Our trip was fast moving (like most of ours) but really great.

The first night we stayed with the Wolters (camp friends). Then, we went on to Arkansas to see AJ's family. We spent Thursday evening with AJ's sister's family and parents. We ate pizza and watched Kevin coach a football game. Friday we hung out with Grandma and Poppy (which the girls are great at saying) then went to Fayetteville for an evening with Uncle Ben and Aunt Maggie. Saturday we got to meet Baby Sullivan (Josh and Rosa's one week old little cutie) and see lots of old friends at our 5 Year Reunion. We stayed with Angie and went to church with her then met all of AJ's family in Fort Smith for Alissa's birthday lunch and playing at the park. We stopped on our way back and stayed with Brock (my brother).

The girls did great most of the time, and we left thankful for so many sweet friendships. As you can see from the clothes, I really only did a good job of taking pictures one day of our trip, but here's what I've got!

Jenna (before we left) who loves to wear her bicycle helmet while walking around the house

Perea Family meets Baby Sullivan--the girls loved him!

AJ, his dad, and his brother with Lydia, Jenna, and Brett

Brett is such a sweet cousin and wanted to love on the girls non-stop!

Eating Alissa's birthday cake

Lydia likes to eat cake with Poppy

Aunt Maggie and Uncle Ben share their cake with Jenna

Walking in the park with Grandma

Cheesy smiles with Uncle Brock

Bubbles

2008-09-26T11:10:00.003-05:00

A few updates from the week:

PREGNANCY: I passed my diabetes test this week but not without a hiccup. The first time I took it I went to pre-register at the hospital while I waited the hour for the gross, sugary drink to get into my blood sugar. The meeting went a little long, which I didn't anticipate to be a problem. Well, it was. You have to check your blood sugar within five minutes of an hour, and I was late. So I got to go back with the girls on Wednesday morning and do it again.

FEVERS: The girls have each had a day this week when they've been running a fever. Really they've had no other symptoms besides being whiny, and thankfully the fevers only lasted a day for each of them. This was the first time Jenna's had a fever since her seizure, so it made us a little nervous trying to keep it down and then putting her to bed hoping her fever wouldn't spike and cause a seizure.

BUBBLES: This morning we blew bubbles outside, and although we're starting to get the hang of blowing, we still have a ways to go. That's pretty clear in these pictures which show the girls "blowing"!

Jenna (L) / Lydia (R)

I love my sister!

2008-09-19T13:34:00.004-05:00

Jenna and Lydia seem to have a unique desire to take care of each other and be together. They do fight over toys but not as often as I expected. Whenever one gets a toy or drink, usually they ask for one for their sister. They also love to feed each other, tickle each other, hug and kiss each other, and sit next to each other. In fact, Jenna wears us out with the number of times she asks about her sister when they're apart. A new development this week: Lydia sits down then pats the spot next to her and says, "Sissy!" Also this week we were walking through a parking lot, and AJ and I each had the hand of one of the girls. We asked if they wanted to hold their sister's hand, and sure enough our family was a long chain walking hand-in-hand through the parking lot. Too bad I don't have a picture of that one! It's so fun to watch them loving on each other!

Hug!

Kiss!

Sitting on the step together

New songs, words, and animal sounds

Thankful again

2008-09-10T13:40:00.003-05:00

Good news! Jenna's MRI came back normal! Now we will move on since there's no findable cause for her seizure. We were told this was the best news we could get, so we're very thankful. Thanks for your prayers and concern.

Here's a picture from today of the girls doing one of their new-found favorite things: crawling up on the couch and looking at books or a picture album of babies (themselves). Jenna's on the left and Lydia's on the right.

Girly girls and the end of a tradition

2008-09-04T13:04:00.004-05:00

Over the last few months, AJ and I have been amazed at the love Jenna and Lydia have for girl things. Their current favorite words are baby and flower, and you can usually find them playing with babies along with headbands used as bracelets, a shopping cart, swing, or purse. We really don't think it was intentional on our part; they just seem to have been made with a desire to mother and look pretty.

Well, today I was painting my toenails while they played, and the girls came to observe. Many of you know that Jenna's toenails have been painted ever since we came home from the hospital. It's my primary method to prove that I've never switched them! Many people (especially kids) use Jenna's toenail polish to identify her. I'm sorry to say that will no longer work.

You see, Lydia just kept watching me then eventually took off her shoes and saying "toes, toes" while pointing at her's. I got the message. She wanted her toenails painted. It was a hard decision, but I gave in and told her to sit still and I'd paint her toes. Wow did she sit still! Her toenails look better than Jenna's ever have because she was so enthralled by the process. So it's official. Both of my identical twin girls have painted toenails. I don't think it will help, but Jenna's are pink and Lydia's are red. Oh my, what have I begun?!

Swinging babies--usually two at once

Jenna with her purse and shopping cart after I asked her to smile

Happy brithday, Will! We loved your birthday party!

Jenna, Leila, Taylor, and Lydia eating ice at Will's party

Thanks for coming for Labor Day Weekend, Grandpa and Grandma! We love you!

Jenna has her MRI (which she has to be sedated for) on Monday morning. Please be praying for a good report and a smooth process. If everything is clear, we are done with tests as a result of her seizure in May. Yea!

Midwest Vacation

2008-08-21T14:20:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful time on our midwest vacation earlier this month. We saw lots of dear friends, enjoyed the cool weather, and squeezed in lots of fun outings. The girls were such troopers, and it was fun to watch them observe and explore new things. We flew in and out of Chicago and went to Wisconsin and Minnesota in between. We saw the Friscos, Reimers, Deweys, Fielders, and Scharfs and enjoyed our time to catch up. We got to experience an arboretum, planetarium, aquarium, a field museum, the Hancock building, cute Door County villages, a bike ride, picnics with beautiful views, a cheese factory, a Twins game, a children's museum, and a zoo. Our time was full and fun!

Here's a couple funny stories about traveling with two little girls and lots of stuff. On our flight from Dallas to Chicago we ended up on different flights (long story, mostly about us being cheapskates and taking a headache for a good deal). So...my flight (with Jenna) landed about three hours after AJ and Lydia arrived in Chicago. Everything went fine until I had to add a carseat and a large suitcase to my already large load of Jenna, a small suitcase, a diaper bag, and my purse. I broke the rule about leaving bags unattended and eventually got us and our things to a set of chairs where we would spend the next 2 1/2 hours. It was especially interesting when I convinced myself a man was eying us so he could take my stuff when I turned my back to grab Jenna. Later he offered to watch our stuff if I needed to use the restroom or anything and assured me he was a minister and very trustworthy. He was. Jenna needed changed, and all my bags were there when I returned.

Then, in Chicago we used public transportation to travel downtown and had a hilarious moment. Somehow our stop snuck up on us, and we were rushing to get both girls, the stroller, diaper bag, and backpack off the train in time. Well, I got off holding both girls, and the doors closed behind me leaving AJ on the train with all our stuff. I felt panicked at first, but mostly it was just funny, especially since he got back to us in 15 minutes. Thank goodness.

There are too many great pictures to post them all, so click here: Picasa to see more.

Jenna's EEG and results

2008-07-29T21:35:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we drove to Lubbock to take Jenna to see a pediatric neurologist. He was great, so helpful, listened carefully, then told us he recommended continuing with more tests. He wanted an EEG that day in Lubbock and an MRI later back in Midland. Traci (my sweet friend from my teaching days at DeZavala Elementary), who lives in Lubbock now, graciously watched Lydia for a large chunk of the day during the appointment then the unexpected EEG--thanks again Traci!

The EEG was a little traumatic for Jenna, but it went quite well. It's notable that it was NOT sleep deprived (keep a person up for 8-12 hours before the test) like we were expecting before seeing this doctor. First they had to put all the probes on her head, which took at least 30 minutes. She fussed through some of it, but it was far from the screaming we are used to when doctors mess with her. Then they needed 2 hours to video her while the EEG recorded. Thankfully, she fell asleep about ten minutes in and was allowed to sleep for one hour for the test. Once we woke her up, she laid very still for close to 25 minutes then ate, read books, played with toys before she realized all that was connected to her and started crying. It wasn't bad, though, because she only had 15 minutes left, and I was still able to hold her and sit with her while she stayed connected. AJ, Jenna, and I were all worn out by the end, but we were so thankful to have it over with! Here's our poor little thing all hooked up.

We were able to hear the results already today! The EEG was normal, which is a great indication that Jenna does not have epilepsy and that hopefully the seizure was a strange, one-time event. We're so grateful and relieved.

Today I heard that news right after playing for a funeral. I couldn't help but think what it would have been like to lose our sweet Jenna. Today I'm again overwhelmed with thanks to God that Lydia cried for no apparent reason that night and that we found Jenna before her aspirating took her life. It's sweet--when we left Lydia at Traci's house yesterday, Jenna kept asking about her sister and pointing to her carseat. I hope they always share that special bond.

Walking videos

2008-07-25T20:15:00.002-05:00

I posted three new videos if anyone is interested. Lydia does a puzzle, and each of the girls take some steps. To see them, click here: youtube.com/ajandmegan.

It's a...

2008-07-21T14:18:00.003-05:00

BOY!

I'm back home after almost two weeks visiting family and friends in Colorado, Tulsa, and Arkansas. We had a great time seeing so many fun people, and Ben and Maggie's wedding was a big highlight of our time. We arrived home last night, and I had a doctor's appointment today. I wasn't scheduled to have a sonogram, but I asked if Dr. Doke would do one for us since we'll be out of town during weeks 20 and 21 when he usually does those sonograms. He agreed, so we're thrilled to announce that in December we'll be welcoming a baby boy! Hopefully I can post the 3-D pictures sometime soon! More pictures and updates coming soon as well.

Big girls!

2008-07-03T14:31:00.004-05:00

Although the girls aren't interested in doing any more walking on their own, they are doing some new big girl things. Last weekend we dropped their morning nap, and they've made the transition quite well! They also love to feed "babies" a bottle, push a shopping cart, ride horses, and sit at a table to play music and read books. With all this extra wake time, we have lots of fun time to figure out new toys!

Jenna pushing her baby in a shopping cart

Jenna loves that horse!

Lydia sits at the table to play the piano

I love this sequence of pictures. I promise none of them were posed or prompted. I'll let Lydia narrate for you.

"Wow, look at that girl in my book!"

"Mom, who is that? She looks like my sister!"

"I guess I'll just give her a kiss."

Growing and changing

2008-06-26T14:59:00.002-05:00

Here's a picture from last week (13 weeks pregnant). I felt the baby kick for the first time during Week 13 as well--so exciting!

Jenna took her first steps on Saturday then took about eight in a row on Sunday (AJ's first chance to see her walking)! I guess she's not as excited about it as we are, because now most times I ask her if she wants to walk to me, she shakes her head no and sits down. They're getting quite heavy to carry around (especially both at once), so I'm excited that we're seeing some walking improvements.

Home from camp

2008-06-20T14:35:00.017-05:00

We're home from camp and mostly caught up on laundry, unpacking, and cleaning. We had a fun time spending three weeks at camp with so many great people and new things to do. Jenna and Lydia were a little overwhelmed by the craziness of camp, especially a couple specific skits, but mostly they just enjoyed observing all the action. It was fun to see their personalities be so obviously different. Jenna was much more reserved, and Lydia was much more outgoing. The girls' favorite parts of camp were the dogs, the mulch, and the steps around camp. We thought they'd walk at camp, but not yet! Another big highlight was their cousins' visit. Alissa and Kevin came from Arkansas with their kids, and we had so much fun playing at camp with them.

Brett and Lydia having a crawling race

Alexandria and Jenna on the barn swing

Alexandria and Brett--they're so photogenic!

Jenna (L) getting a kiss from Lydia (R) down on the dock

Watching their cousins play up above

Dean and Alexandria playing in the lake

Dean and Lydia

Lydia (L) & Jenna (R) watching cabin cheers

You could say they were the center of attention at times :)

Jenna and sweet Julie who came for two weeks to help with the girls

Julie and Lydia

Lydia (L) and Jenna (R) happy to help unpack!

Here's our precious Jenna who acts completely normal these days. On our pediatrician's recommendation, we plan to take her to Lubbock to see a pediatric neurologist. Because her seizure only affected one side of her body, there's a better chance that an EEG will show something abnormal, so we will likely do an EEG at some point. For now, we're just enjoying her, living with more thankfulness and learning to more fully trust the God who "comprehends her path and her lying down and is acquainted with all her ways, the one who has hedged her in behind and before and has laid His hand upon her" (Psalm 139).

I'm now 13 weeks into my pregnancy and feeling super! Really I'm not feeling sick at all and not even tired. It's time to start the belly pictures!

Days at home include enjoying parks, pools, and the toys at our house that seem new after three weeks away. AJ is working at Chick-fil-a mostly everyday and likes learning about restaurant life. He'll work there for a few weeks until school starts again.

A sister and a life saver

2008-05-26T14:54:00.003-05:00

We have had quite the week, so I'm going to do my best to re-tell all the happenings.

On Wednesday night, AJ and I were up late packing for camp because we were planning to leave Thursday morning. Lydia started crying at 11:00 pm which is pretty unusual, and he went in to check on her. He came out with Lydia and told me to go listen to Jenna breathing, because he thought it sounded strange. I went in to listen, and I thought she had thrown up and was laying in it. I felt around on her matress, and she didn't move so I picked her up. Her eyes were open, she was breathing funny, and her right arm and eye were both twitching. She had already thrown up some stuff in her bed and started coughing up some white foamy stuff. I started calling her name, and she wasn't making eye contact or really responding at all. I called AJ, and we began the panic of figuring out what to do. At first we thought she was choking, and thankfully AJ realized we were dealing with an emergency and called for an ambulance. In the meantime, Lydia was sitting on the couch very calmly (not normal considering the circumstances) watching us take care of her sister. We started realizing that it seemed like she was having a seizure, and soon the fire trucks and ambulance arrived at our house. They agreed that it looked like a seizure and waited for a while to see if she would come out of it. She puked some more but was still not responding.

They decided to take her on to the hospital, and AJ went along to be with her. I was trying to figure out what to do with Lydia, and a neighbor was standing outside and offered to stay with her. I put her back to bed, and amazingly she laid right down without a fuss. When I arrived at the hospital, Jenna was still seizing, and we were so scared. I had never known a seizure to last so long, and we had no idea what was happening. They gave her some medicine to calm anxiety and put her on oxygen. Thankfully, at 11:30 (30 minutes later) she came out of it. She was very sleepy and not at all herself, so we were still quite scared. After several hours in the ER praying and singing and talking to Jenna, we learned that she had pneumonia and that they wanted to admit her to the other hospital in town (the one that takes kids). I held her on the stretcher for the ambulance ride and even got peed on because I thought she still had the catheter in so she wasn't wearing a diaper.

We were admitted at 4 am, and began to feel some relief after Jenna cried very hard (at least she was responding) through the initial processes with the nurses. Our nurse really put me at ease and talked me through all the questions and concerns I wanted to talk about. Jenna slept off and on between breathing treatments, a CT scan, and beginning to eat and drink again. After getting some rest, she seemed like herself again: smiling, playing peekaboo, reading books, making animal sounds. Thank you, Lord!

Jenna's doctor came in at 1 pm and told us the CT scan was clear. He told us he was unsure at this point what caused the seizure. At first we were told it was probably caused by a fever, but he said her fever was not high enough or a drastic enough change to be the cause. He thinks her upper right lobe pneumonia was caused by her aspirating (inhaling fluid into the lungs) at some point during the seizure. He prescribed an antibiotic and told us to bring her back in a few days and then three weeks for further evaluation regarding the cause. A few possibilities could be a seizure disorder or her MMR vaccination she received nine days earlier.

Now we're at camp, enjoying the sweet people here, and trying to get well. Jenna's stomach does not agree with her antibiotic, so she's been vomiting it up, and we're hoping for a new antibiotic tomorrow. Other than that, we're trying to get rest, stay hydrated, and enjoy the fun parts of camp.

Looking back, we're just so grateful. It's likely that if Lydia hadn't cried (for seemingly no reason) we would have found Jenna the next morning and she may not have lived. Wow--Lord, you've been so gracious to us. We're so thankful it happened before we got to camp where we are much farther from help or the girls' doctor. We're thankful for each day that we can enjoy each of our girls and know a little more fully that we shouldn't take any moment for granted. We're thankful that we see no lasting effects and are hopeful that this is a one-time strange event that we will never have to live through again. We're thankful for our helpful friends in Midland who brought food, visited, took care of Lydia, and treated us like family. We're thankful for the many who prayed for Jenna. In our scary, confused moments, we were blessed by the knowledge that God is trustworthy and has our best and our kids' best in mind. Thanks for reading this long account and for all of your concern and love you have shown. We'll keep you updated as we know more. We love you.

How many babies?

2008-05-21T14:21:00.004-05:00

That has been the big question running through our minds in the past several weeks. Will we have twins again? This morning we went to the doctor to see our first sonogram, and this time we will have ONE baby. We got to hear his/her heartbeat, and the doctor says everything looks good. He did move my due date back to December 23, so this poor child will probably always share a birthday with the busyness of Christmas. I must admit, we feel a small sense of relief knowing that we aren't adding another set of twins to the crew.

Recently the girls have practiced their big sister skills, and Lydia especially loves giving kisses to our sweet friend Elena who is five months. We leave for camp tomorrow (AJ will be training this summer's kitchen director, and the girls and I get to play), so my blog is about to have another drought--sorry. Here's one cute picture of the big sisters to be. Lydia's in the front; Jenna's in the back. We'll be home in three weeks!

Switching to zone

2008-05-10T20:42:00.002-05:00

Exciting news! We are expecting Baby #3 at the Perea household! So as AJ likes to say we'll be switching from our current man-to-man strategy to zone since the kids will soon outnumber the parents! The baby is due December 18th, so I'm eight weeks along right now and feeling fine, just pretty tired. We're thankful for the blessing of another baby joining our family!

Sharing

2008-04-24T10:47:00.005-05:00

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Sharing is a hard concept at our house. Two girls, both 14 months old, too young to be great at not taking or obeying when told to share, old enough to care when your sister takes something from you. They have good moments when they pass things back and forth without trouble and plenty of hard moments when the girls are frustrated every time something is taken away by that grabby sister! Here's one of the good moments from this morning during breakfast. It's easy to share when it's not your favorite food and your sister will eat it for you! By the way, our sickness was quick this time, and we're all back to normal. Thank you, Lord!

Aunt Gigi comes to visit!

2008-04-20T16:52:00.003-05:00

My dear friend Angie came to visit this weekend--what a treat! We took lots of walks, ate good food, and caught up on all the details of each other's lives. It was really refreshing to spend time with my sweet, thoughtful, helpful friend. Here's a few pictures from our time together.

Angie and I love taking walks together, and the girls liked coming along.

after lunch at the cafe at Alldredge Gardens

Can you tell the girls don't feel so well in this one? They came down with a stomach bug Saturday night. They're seeming better already, so we hope this one is quick! Poor things. Thanks for coming to see us, Aunt Gigi! We love you!

Crazy curls!

2008-04-17T10:51:00.004-05:00

Our house has been louder and needier than typical days. I think the girls are teething, and they've just been whiny. I'm trying to keep perspective that this won't last forever. I was inspired by Lindsy and decided to let the girls try sitting alone on the piano bench to play. They loved it! The view from behind also allows you to check out their wild post-nap hair!

This picture shows their personalities well. Lydia (L) is banging and smiling and just having a good ol' time! Jenna (R) is playing with one finger at a time, very deliberate and too focused to smile at the camera.

Jenna

Lydia

Pigtails!

2008-04-03T14:55:00.004-05:00

Lots of people have been commenting on how much the girls' hair is growing. It's getting so long, curly, and crazy, so I decided we should try pigtails today. Lydia's seems to be thicker and curlier than Jenna's, so we'll see if that's the way it stays. Here's a couple fun pictures before they pulled their cute pigtails out. Lydia is wearing pink, and Jenna's in purple.

The Playroom

2008-04-01T14:33:00.007-05:00

Here are some pictures of our recently completed (kind-of) playroom. The paint on the walls is thanks to my parents in addition to the cute curtains my mom made us. The verse on the wall is thanks to sweet Jenny with her amazingly steady hand. What a blessing to have a safe, easy place to set the girls that is right off the kitchen. Next projects: new carpet and a chalkboard and bulletin board for the empty walls.

The view from the kitchen. Thank goodness for a place where I don't need to watch them constantly!

It's great to have so much storage in this room! I painted white polka-dots on those black knobs.

Cute curtains and ric-rac and buttons on the chair rail

Our prayer for our kids: Romans 15:13

Here's the girls enjoying their fun room. It's hilarious how often they end up playing right next to each other! Jenna and Lydia have learned to give kisses and blow kisses, and peek-a-boo has them laughing really hard these days! They're both just beginning to cruise when they're standing. Jenna is beginning to name books, balls, babies, Daddy, ducks, and Mommy but just with the first syllable and usually only just when she's repeating our sounds. She cracked me up last weekend when AJ walked in while she was eating. She looked at him, waved and said, "HI." I think it was a fluke, but it sounded just like hi. Lydia's beginning to repeat our words too, and I think she loves music because she sings along when I sing to her and can often be found dancing when she hears music. What fun.

Spring Break

2008-03-26T11:04:00.008-05:00

Spring Break was such a treat! We stayed in Midland for the first few days, so it was great to have AJ home with us. Saturday my mom's cousin's wife and two kids drove through Midland on their way to Mexico for a mission trip. It was so fun to catch up with them and have them meet the girls. They love Mexican food, so we had to take them to Rosa's!

Tuesday we drove to Colorado Springs. The girls did great in the car (what a relief!), and we had tons of fun with my family. We read, rode bikes, went shopping, saw friends, took the girls to my parents' workplaces, enjoyed family and friends from out of town who happened to be in town for a variety of reasons. It was so relaxing and fun. Here are a few Easter pictures. We had to drive home Sunday, so we went to a service on Saturday night with my family.

Uncle Brock

Grandma and Grandpa

The whole crew

One night my high school friends, Jaci and Melissa, came out to my parents' house. It was so fun to catch up with them and see their growing tummies. We didn't get pictures with Tammy and Lindsay, but time with them was a huge treat as well! What a blessing to get time with so many precious friends and family!

Favorite toys, poses, and tricks

2008-03-13T15:38:00.012-05:00

Lydia and Wyatt

Jenna wants Wyatt to teach her to drive!

Lydia's side pose

The girls love to ride in their new wagon!
Lydia (L) / Jenna (R)

Unfortunately, Jenna often calls AJ "Mama" when he asks her the same question.

Fun video

2008-02-27T20:42:00.005-06:00

The girls have been so much fun this week. They love to explore together and interact with each other a lot. We're all healthy and enjoying some beautiful weather as well. Today while McKay was here for tutoring, the girls were playing together and both climbed up to their learning table and were entertaining each other with their dancing. So fun!