Thank Goodness for Sammy!

After listening to an acquaintance complain about his wife (she doesn't clean, cook or help out... so he says), I started realizing how thankful I am for my husband's help. Before we had kids, I worked a full-time job outside of the house. So, when it came time to cook and clean, it was just understood that we would split these chores. Sammy did most of the cooking, because he enjoys it and is MUCH better at it than I am. And, I don't mind doing the dishes afterward. I prefer to sort, wash and fold the laundry, but I HATE putting it away. Sammy doesn't mind that part. I will dust and vacuum... Sammy will clean the bathrooms. This is always how we have worked (for the most part). After the kids were born and we made the decision that I would stay at home, this routine continued. I am thankful that he realizes that even though I am at home with the kids, I am still holding down a full-time job. I often forget to say it, but thanks for all your help, Sammy!

HI!

Nicholas is one of "those" kids. You know the type... they have to say "hi" or "bye" until the person they are talking to responds back. He'll pick out one person at the grocery store, the restaurant, at church or at the twins' preschool and say the appropriate greeting over & over until he gets the same greeting returned to him. The other night, we ate dinner at Fuddruckers. While we were sitting down eating, an employee starts refilling the napkin receptacles that are located on each table. She's getting closer to the empty tables surrounding us. (Our "rule" when we all go out to eat... we should always look for a table far away from the other customers. Otherwise, we'll run them outta the place!) Once she's within earshot, Nicholas starts waving and softly says, "Hi". The employee either doesn't hear or is trying to ignore him. He says it again and again, no reply. And, again and again. By this time, she has passed our table & has gone on to the empty table on the other side of us. After a few more "hi"s, which got a little bit louder each time, she finally turns to look at him and says "hi" back. YEA!! He has made progress and can now move on to his next conquest. Honestly, the boy does not give up! He's persistent with his greetings! I wonder what this says about him?

Lacking Faith

Why do I feel like we're getting kicked while we're already down? I was telling Sammy this evening that I know in my heart that God will take care of us, but for some reason or another, I CANNOT convince myself to stop worrying and let Him take over.

We experienced flood damage with the most recent rains, which quickly turned to sewage damage. (Thank you very much, city of Richardson!) The flat tire we had on the way home from Belton blew out again last night while we were running errands. (Thankfully, Firestone replaced it at no cost to us. But, it was still a huge pain!) The Kiwi carpet cleaners that have been visiting us regularly since Monday told us we would need 2 additional dehumidifiers in our home to dry the cement underneath the damaged carpet quicker. (We already have 3 that have been running nonstop since Tuesday morning.) So, they brought in the 2 large machines today, plugged one in & blew a fuse. They tried plugging it in 2 more times & the same thing happened each time. Scratch that plan. We'll just all dehumidify for longer! Tomorrow, they are ripping up the carpet in our bedroom & hallway. Today, they tested the baseboards for a humidity reading & they all read at 100%. So, they will also be taking out the baseboards & testing underneath those. I'm almost positive the wall beneath will be ruined, as well.

Meanwhile, the city of Richardson has told us to go ahead & either get the work done (taking a chance that they might pay for it) or just get estimates and turn those in to the Claims Department. But, this is not something that we can just get an estimate for & wait to see if they will pay for the work... so, we pretty much have to get it done & pray that it will be covered. I'm so frustrated & worried & tired & irritated & just generally ticked off that this is happening. Sammy really tries to help me see the positive side of things (we still have a house, we are healthy, our kids are happy, we have good jobs), but I think I'm experiencing an enormous lack of faith. I want answers & I want them now! I want things done & I want them done now! I don't want to wait for God's timing. I'm not that patient.

However, as I said earlier, I honestly do know that God will take care of us. I know that His ways are better than mine and that it won't do me any good to worry about the future. Why can't I convince myself of this, then, when things get rough?

Tea Party

Sydney got her very first tea party set last night. I'm pretty sure most little girls have already had several tea parties by the age of 4, but Sydney is just now catching up. We had a tea party last night before bedtime & even conned Daddy & Samuel to join in. (The pretend cake & donut was really what lured them in!) It's cute to watch her, because she is really enjoying serving us tea in the pretty little cups. She holds the cups & plates so carefully & daintily. (Is "daintily" even a word??) And, she turns into such a "girly" girl when she serves us... talking in a sweet, high pitched voice & being so gentle with everything. I love the toys that entice kids to use their imaginations & this tea set has definitely accomplished that.

I can't wait for our next tea party after school today!

Big Boy Bed

I can't believe my 18 month old is already in a big boy bed! We didn't move the twins into beds until they were 22 months old. And, even then, all we did was take the side railing off the crib until they got used to the idea. We had to do that out of necessity... Samuel was climbing out of his crib & getting stuck at the top of the railing. However, with Nicholas, we just took down his crib temporarily to set up the bed for guests. But, he loves his big bed, goes down easily in it, hasn't tried to escape (yet!) and stays there until it is time to wake up in the morning. So, we decided to go ahead & leave it in his room. I knew it was just a matter of time before we would have had to set it up again anyway, so I guess this saves us some trouble later on down the road. It just makes him seem so much more older now... which, in turn, makes me a little sad. I'm not ready for my baby to grow up!

Birthday Party

The twins had a fun birthday party at Encouragym! Here are some pictures that my sister & nephew took...

Samuel enjoying his Batman cake:

Sydney enjoying her Barbie cake (and Kool-Aid, it seems!):

Nicholas having a blast!


The kids having fun on the bouncy slide:

And, last, but not least... Mom & Dad going down the bouncy slide:

Home Sweet Home

Well, after leaving Belton around midnight... a flat tire at 2:15 am... and rain the entire way... we finally made it home very early this morning at 3 am! All to avoid the Sunday spring break traffic! And, when Mom called this morning to tell me that traffic in Bastrop was bumper to bumper, we realized that it was, in fact, worth the tiring drive home last night. We're glad to be home, cozy & warm, instead of on those very slick roads. Just coming into Dallas, we passed 4 wrecks... at 3 in the morning!!! Some were multiple vehicles, some were single cars that had spun out of control. At first, I thought maybe we didn't have any traction on our tires, because we kept hydroplaning and skidding on the highway. Then, when I saw all the wrecked cars, I realized it just must be the super slick roads. Needless to say, I was going slow & had both hands at 10 and 2 on the steering wheel. I got honked at once (again at 3 in the morning... what were they thinking?!?) for going too slow in the left hand lane while passing a wreck on the right. Dallas drivers are insane!

We had a great time visiting Mom & Dad and can't wait to go back again. When we do, though, I'm going to remember the Benadryl and the breathing machine. Those Central TX allergies are the worst!!

Life on the Farm

We're spending a few days at Mimi & Papa's house while Sammy is filming a basketball festival in Belton. The kids are having a blast & getting dirtier than they have ever been in their short life! Papa scattered corn to entice the wild turkey to come close to the house, but three kids & 2 dogs were a little too noisy for that this morning. (These turkeys get spooked easily!) So, they are anxiously awaiting to see the turkeys in the morning. We walked up & down the farm road... got tangled in dangling spider webs... watched buzzards chowing down on some poor, deceased creature... waved at a dump truck that passed by a few times and threw dust in our faces... and swung on the swings hanging from the oak trees.




I know this area needs rain desperately, but the kids were glad that the threatening clouds did not produce any today. Wait until we leave & then let the rain come!

This farm life suits us all very well! Sure wish we could live closer, but we'll just have to make the most of our visits to the farm!

Four Years Ago...

Four years ago today, I was spending my very first day at home with the twins, Sydney & Samuel. They turned 4 on Sunday, March 12, and I can hardly believe it! How can it already have been that long ago? I remember the feeling of shock when I found out I was pregnant with 2 precious babies... and then the feeling of sheer joy & excitement when it was discovered I was carrying a boy and a girl. That was about 4 years and 4 months ago. And, I vividly remember the sonographer carefully studying the screen of the Level 2 sonogram on March 11th. He was very silent and very somber. He tried "buzzing" Samuel several times with his little vibrator instrument to get Samuel to move or respond. He turned me over on one side, then the other. He buzzed some more. He studied the screen. He pushed on Samuel with both hands. Then, he finally turned to Sammy & I and said, "I think we should go ahead and get them out." HUH?!? Like today?? I was totally unprepared for that! But, I was so ready to meet my sweet babies... and to not look like a beached whale anymore! Turns out, Miss Piggy Sydney was sucking all the nourishment away from Samuel. To this day, she can out-eat him in just about anything! So, after 24 hours of labor, we met Sydney & Samuel. Sydney arrived first after a few easy pushes & then Samuel decided it would be fun to join the Cirque du Soleil in utero! He flipped around and caused us quite a scare. When his little heartrate plummeted, the docs decided a C-section would be safer for all involved. So, 25 minutes later, Samuel decided to grace us with his presence.

And, that was all 4 years ago! WOW! These have been absolutely the best 4 years of my life!!

And the winner is...

Samuel snuggled in the recliner next to me last night to watch some of the Academy Awards show. He especially liked it when they showed clips of the animated films. He loves watching Wallace & Gromit, so he was excited to see that clip. So, this morning, I thought it was pretty cute when he started "judging" his toys. He was playing with some cars and announced, "And, the winner is monster truck!" Then, he turned to me and said, "And, the winner is Mommy!" Eventually, his dad, brother, sister and even himself were declared winners. Most of his toys were winners, also. I love these times in our day, when everything is perfect and we're all winners... atleast according to Samuel!

No No!

We've hit the stage where Nicholas is now pointing his index finger back at us & telling us "no no". This is funny & annoying, all at the same time. It's annoying because he'll do something that he absolutely knows is wrong, look at me, point that index finger at me & say "no no". He's basically punishing himself, but that finger is directed at me. Which makes it pretty darn funny! He's imitating exactly what we do.

I now have 3 little copycats running around this house!

I LOVE Spring!

Technically, spring may not have arrived just yet, but this weather is certainly acting that way. And, I love it!! We've been outside all morning long & just came inside for a snack. Nicholas said he wanted some "bapples", so he grabbed a tomato out of the fridge & handed it to me. He would have been in for quite a surprise if I had given him a slice of that tomato! Instead, I cut up an apple for the kids. He was so excited about it! (Come to think of it, he gets really excited about most food! He's just like his mommy!)

Which reminds me of another reason I love this season... fruit tastes so much better in the spring & summer. YUM!! I love going to the Farmer's Market & buying my produce there this time of year. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. When I was pregnant with Nicholas, my biggest craving was homegrown, vine-ripe tomatoes. I didn't like the leathery kind they sell in the grocery stores. It had to be blood red & sweet. My mom has a friend back home that grew tomatoes in his garden & he sent some up my way to help satisfy my craving. When I ran out of those (it only took about a day!), I went to the Farmer's Market in Plano & stocked up there. And, I made several more visits that summer! I ate TONS of tomatoes covered in salt! They were delicious!

Hmmmm... now that I'm remembering that, maybe that's why Nicholas handed me the tomato in the fridge. Maybe he would have liked it after all.