Time Savers

Since I have been pretty tired lately, I have not been to the grocery store or Target in over three weeks. Greg has been running, what seems like daily, to the store to pick up whatever we need to just make it through the day. After feeling like I really needed to get on top of things, I found two ways I could get a little cooking and shopping done without much effort.

1. Super Suppers - a couple friends have used them for a while and I finally decided that we had eaten out enough and needed to have some formula for home cooked meals. They have a monthly supper club which is very reasonable and the meals are great! I ordered the meals online and then went to the store to pick them up. So easy!

2. Sam's Club - they have 'Click 'n Pull' where you can shop online and they pull all your groceries for you, at no cost. I simply went in today, they pulled my order, I payed at Customer Service (with no wait), and we were off. Again, so easy!

I have no idea why I have not tapped into these resources before. Our pantry is now full and we will again have hot semi-home cooked meals!

Twins Update

We are just getting back from our ultrasound this morning. Everything looked great. God answered our prayers - the babies have a septum between them! Both babies were measuring exactly the same.

Please continue to pray for the babies' health and continued development. We are hoping for a January delivery. We know that these two babies are a blessing from the Lord so we will continue to trust Him to carry our family through the months to come.

Worry

This past week the boys went with Greg to young singles Sunday School. Their round table discussion was on worry. Since the boys wanted to participate, Camden made a Top 10 List of Worries for he and Landon:

1. Being sprayed by a skunk.
2. Getting an A-.
3. A squirrel scratching me on the head.
4. A failed math paper.
5. Daddy taking my pen away.
6. Being chased by a deer.
7. A bear trying to kill me.
8. Being speared by an Alcus Indian.
9. The building breaking.
10. A bullet hitting me in the eye.

Worry, it has always been something I struggled with. However, I can honestly say none of these have ever topped my list.

Baby, oh Babies

Two. That is the number of the week for us and will be for the next 30. Last week we found out that we are expecting identical twins! Nothing could have prepared us for that news. When the nurse told us, we were speechless.

After a pretty normal ultrasound, only seeing one baby, I starting asking a few questions to make sure there was nothing that caused any alarm to the sonographer. After looking a minute more, she said, "I think I may have lied to you." Our hearts sank. Then, she proceeded to explain that what she originally said was part of the yoke sac was not, it was another heartbeat. Sure enough, when she was able to look more closely, there was baby number two!

Afterwards, we came home and told the boys. The only thing that concerned Camden was the thought of changing diapers. After assuring him that he would only have to do so if he wanted, he was excited. Landon on the other hand had a little different response. He internalized it a little while and then said, "If they are girls, can one wear a ribbon and the other not so we can tell them apart?" A minute later he had name suggestions for them as well - Cindy Lou Who and Pumpkin. Nicknames we suggested.

We have a long road ahead of us. The risks with identical twins are higher as well as the concerns with my Crohn's Disease. The babies are in the same yoke sac and have the same placenta. Over the next couple weeks, we are praying that a septum will grow between them to separate them from each other. We will have another ultrasound on July 9th to hopefully see a little division.

Two. What a blessing. We are trusting in the Lord's hand to carry us through this pregnancy.

Loving It

A few weeks ago I heard a song on the radio that I loved so I decided to download it. While downloading, I decided to listen to more of the album and ended up getting the whole thing. Right now, they top my playlist - Tenth Avenue North - love it.

B-Ball Boys

This year Camden played his first season of basketball, which he LOVED. Now, when the boys are outside, you can bet that they are playing basketball.

Landon's Class Events

Valentine's Chapel

Dalmatian Day!

This past month Landon had several events to take place in his class. First, they celebrated the 101th day of school with Dalmatian Day. The kids dressed up like dalmatians and had different activities all morning centered around dogs. Also, their class was responsible for the Valentine's Day Chapel. The kids recited a poem and Bible Verse. He was so excited about these events. Being a part of these days has made me want to teach preschool again. So much fun!

Texting 101

Lesson #1: Always make sure you text the right phone number.

This morning I flipped open my phone, searched through my contacts, found my brother's name, and started a text message to him - just a friendly reminder that he still owed me money for a gift. Hit 'send' and went about my morning. A little later, I received a text back, "Who is this. This is b.i.g. Daddy D.J." Thinking my brother was just being funny, I texted back, "Great. You still owe me money regardless who you are." A few minutes later I receive a phone call - caller id - my brother - except he didn't sound like himself. Me: Hello? Caller: Yeah, you say I owe you money? Me: Hello, Tripp? (Knowing that the person on the line did not sound of the same ethnicity as my brother). Caller: I owe you money? Once again thinking my brother had a friend call me back, I hung up. Then, another text, "Who are you. Are you my white snow bunny : - )" This time I thought my brother went too far so I got Greg to text him from his phone. A few minutes later, Tripp calls and confirms that he has received no text messages from me - the only one he received was from Greg. I checked his number saved in my contact information and sure enough the number was one digit off. Sorry Mr. "I thought you were my brother" - no more text messages from me I promise!!

Tears

This morning we followed our typical Sunday morning routine. Got to church, headed to take the boys to Sunday School. As I went down the hall, I realized that the 'Help' sign was out at Landon's class. Thinking this might be a problem, I continued with the normal drop off, leaving Landon in his class with some parents and he seemed ok. I went and checked to make sure Camden made it to Studio 10:10 and started talking with a friend for a few minutes. Before I headed back upstairs, I decided to check on Landon one more time.

When I peeked around the door to his room, I saw no Landon. Looking a little further, I got the attention of one of the helpers. When I asked if he was ok, she was not sure. Landon had gone behind the pillar in his room and was on the floor in a little ball. I went over to him and he was crying, crocodile tears.

My little boy, not wanting to show his sadness, hiding in the corner. Sad because he missed mommy and uncertain because his teacher was gone. I have no idea when we will leave this phase but I am so grateful for his loving Sunday School teachers. Ms. Misty, we love you! Thank you for being a rock for Landon.

Numbers

Today was the 100th day of school for the kids. Camden's class had special activities all day centered around 100. The kids even had to dress in some fashion representing 100. Camden wore 100 dot stickers on his shirt. Great day. Tomorrow, Landon will celebrate the 101st day of school with Dalmatian Day. They are dressing up as dogs.

Tonight, we read one of the kids new favorite books called, How Big is a Million? It is really cute story about a penguin's quest to find a million - he discovers 10, 100, and 1,000 - all with accurate pictures of each number. At the conclusion of the book there is a poster that depicts one million. It is great way for them to grasp the meaning behind all the zeros. Today, we definitely did some numbers.

A Little Beat

We all LOVE music. The boys have their own band - the infamous Rock All Stars, we each have our collections on itunes, and we all have our own headphones that make road trips so much easier.

Well, this afternoon we decided to head out for a family movie - movie of choice - High School Musical 3, again. Landon, especially, is a HSM fan. We have all the soundtracks and the movies. The soundtrack often tops the Carpool Top Ten. Great movie.

No matter what the task - as a long as I have my ipod and headphones - I can clean all day. Yes, with a little beat, our whole family gets along a little better. Here are our most requested albums:
1. Pure NRG - Here We Go Again - Carpool Favorite
2. All HSM Soundtracks
3. Chris Tomlin - Hello Love

House Rules

Because our boys are early risers, we have implemented morning rules. The boys are suppose to stay in their beds until their clock says 6:30. Well, this morning Greg had to get up and get moving early. As he rounded the corner and looked into the boys' room, he saw Landon sitting up in bed. When questioned what he was doing, Landon said he could not see the clock laying down so he was sitting in bed until the clock read "6 - 3 - 0". Greg told Landon he still had about twenty minutes but could get up with him. Landon, determined to receive his prize at the end of the week for sleeping until 6:30, said that he would not get up until 6 - 3 - 0. Well, I know that bribery is sometimes frowned upon but Landon is no longer getting out of bed at 5:30. Happy Mom!

One Year Ago

One year ago, I had just had my first surgery related to my Crohn's Disease. I was so sick. Last January, I spent most days in bed. Regardless of the circumstances, God was so faithful. During those days, I would pray for healing, for restoration, for strength. I don't want to go back there; however, during that time, I realized how real God was to me and how He did supply each need. I did not get better over night, but each day He gave me the strength and ability to continue as well as the best gift - His peace.

Today I am much healthier. My Crohn's is under control. I praise God because through this disease I have been able to know Him more. Despite the circumstances, God continually gives me His joy and strength.

Preschool Carpool

Since our boys go to a school about twenty minutes away, we carpool each day with friends close by. Today, I was running the lunch carpool home with the preschoolers. Their conversation was hilarious. Usually in the morning, the little kids are drowned out by the older siblings. Since big brother and big sister are still at school, the younger ones had the floor to themselves. Here are highlights from their conversations:
- Want to spend the night with me? You can sleep in the playroom. It will be lots of fun because my spaceship is in there.
- If you kiss a girl on the lips, you have to marry her.
- Tomorrow morning is my birthday. (Not really).
- I want to be red or silver ranger, you can be pink.
- My stuffed animal's last name is the same as your name.
Unfortunately, my typed words do not capture the honest, sincere and heartfelt conversations very well but I hope it makes you smile as it did me. I love driving preschool carpool!

Christmas Pictures

New Year's Day - Boys Prepare to SKI

Happy Birthday Jesus & Landon!

Christmas Eve

Kid Cousins with Great Granny & Granddaddy

Christmas in a Nutshell

We had a great Christmas and New Year's, filled with lots of fun, presents, and family time. We had four different family Christmas celebrations, went to Shandon's Christmas Eve service with my family, woke up in our home Christmas morning with presents from Santa followed by a birthday breakfast for Landon, traveled to Spartanburg for Aunt Linda's wedding, and capped off the break with a New Year's ski trip with the Singles from First Baptist. We had a great time being with family and friends.