Tea for three

Yesterday was the annual tea party at our church. It was the fourth tea party for Calyn and I and the first for Abby. Calyn and I had so much fun getting ready. I ironed our pink clothes. Calyn picked out our accessories. We both washed our tea cups. Calyn looked forward to the party all week.

We sat at Nana Janis' table. Janis has graciously hosted us several times. But this year was the first year for her to be joined by her daughter, Jessica and new granddaughter, Addison. Janis has always loved on us and made us feel like family so it was so fun to see her with her special guests.

Calyn loved the tea. I think she had five cups with 'two sugar cubes and no milk.' We are going to have to get her a bigger cup before next year or Janis might not invite us to sit at her table since Calyn kept her so busy. We also dined on peanut butter and jelly finger sandwiches, fresh strawberries with whipped cream, cranberry (? I am not actually sure what kind of scones they were, but they are amazing every year) scones, and mini chocolate chip cookies.

Abby ate a lot of strawberries which was funny because she refuses to eat them at home. She had fun playing with Addison. I think Janis and Jessica thought she was so cute until Addison touched Abby's nose and she said, 'Don't pick my boogers!'

Here are some pictures of our special party. I did not realize I did not get any of me until the party was over.

When the cat mom is away...

the mice Abby will play.

Glory

"Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." Isaiah 43:7

What do you think God means by "my glory"?

My answer was to please him or that he created us to bring him pleasure.

However, Beth Moore just taught me that 'God's glory is the way He makes Himself known...is how He shows who he is...is the way He makes Himself recognizable.'

He created us so that we may know and recognize him.

Take this scripture:
"So whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." I Corinthians 10:31

Before I would have interpreted that I was supposed to please God with my actions. Know I understand that through my actions others should be able to recognize God.

I just had to share what I learned today. Carry on with what you were doing!

This guy

You know the one.

The one who refused to nurse for the first 8 weeks of his life.

Well.

Now he refuses to drink from a bottle.

But.

This makes him and his momma very happy.

4 months

Grant will be 4 months old in just a few days. I can hardly believe he is already four months old. It saddens me to see him grow up so fast. Many times I find myself looking forward to the days of no more diapers, kids that can feed themselves without huge messes, etc. But just as quickly I remember that being able to cuddle them, put lotion on them, etc. will not last forever. I just wish there were more hours in the day to enjoy all the little things about being a mom.

What is Grant doing these days?

He can roll from his back to his stomach.
He often sucks his thumb or first finger.
He chuckles whenever you tickle his ribs or wipe under his chin.
He charms everyone with his smile.
He sleeps through the night most of the time.
He still spits up a lot.
He likes to take baths and sit in the bathroom while the shower is running.
He is not a fan of his big sister biting his foot.
He can stand on his daddy's hand.
He likes to 'fly.'

He produces a lot of drool. But no teeth yet.

He is an absolute joy.

Some more smores

Since having children, we use our fireplace more than we ever did prior to children. Since the twins were old enough to talk, they ask for a fire everytime it is cold. We also make smores in the fireplace. It has become one of our cold weather traditions. I don't realize how big the kids are until I look back at old pictures.
2006:

2007:

2008:

2009:

And of course we can't forget Abby:

Just in case

...you are one of the people wondering things out loud in public...

Yes, they are all mine.

No, I am not crazy. At least I wasn't the last time I checked.

I do know how babies are made.

I did pay for some of them and I would do it again.

Yes, they are twins.

No, they are not identical. The reason they are not identical should be obvious.

Yes, they are tall for their age. And no they don't start school until next year.

I am brave.

I do have my hands full.

I think they are beautiful also.

I do stay busy.

Yes, I too am glad they are not yours.

Thank you for your sympathetic smile, but I am quite happy with my life.

A fresh start

In order to have a fresh start in 2010, I need to catch-up.
Recently we had a family photo shoot with a local photographer that we met through our church. She did a great job with us as we were quite the challenge. Her other work can be found here and here.
Thanks Jessica for working with us!

We also celebrated my birthday recently. We spent the day together as a family. I got a new camera. I am looking forward to learning to use it and taking pictures for my friends one day.

Happy New Year everyone.

Oh I just remembered that I have a family ski trip to blog about. I guess that will have to wait until next time.

A shout out for Kristie

I have a cousin who is super talented. She made these cute Texas Tech outfits for my girls. She also makes baby items like the burp cloth you can see in the first picture. All her stuff is reasonably priced and made with lots of love.

Her website is http://lollipopsandkisses.blogspot.com/. She is also having a sale! Please go visit if you can.

2, 5, and 5

The months of November and December bring birthdays for the majority of our not so little family. Abby turned 2 on November 29th followed by the twins turning 5 four days later. Squeezed between the two birthdays were two infected ears, two infected sinuses, and a case of RSV. Abby was on house arrest for the twins birthday so she did not get to go out with them. Thankfully Grandma was here to watch her.

Abby:

Abby is an amazing little girl. Her vocabulary amazes us daily as well as her ability to use words correctly and in combination. She is in the 70th percentile for both height and weight. Even her head circumference is in the 70th percentile. Her pigtails, big blue eyes, and sweet smile receive comments just about everywhere we go.

Below is Tim's birthday letter to Abby:

29 November 2009

Dear Abby –

Today is your 2^nd birthday! It has been great to see how much you have grown up over the last year. You went from being a baby that could barely walk to a little girl that runs all over the place, can speak in whole sentences, and eat all by herself. In fact, one of your favorite phrases now is “Abby do it!” Many times you are able to do it all by yourself. It is amazing to see how quickly you have picked up language. You are such a smart little girl with bright shining eyes. You are such a cute little girl who makes a lot of people smile and comment when they see you. We love to see you laugh and to make you laugh. You are pretty ticklish and enjoy being eaten and tickled. You are so loving towards Grant and it’s so fun to see you give him a kiss. Abby kisses are the best and everybody loves getting one. You play pretty well with Zach and Calyn. It’s tough being the little kid, but you can hold your own and many times you get your way. Recently, it has been great to see you pray before meals. It brings us joy to see you wave your hands in the air as you go through your little meal-time prayer. We will be excited to see the day when you understand enough to ask Jesus to come into your heart.

We are so grateful to God for giving you to us. You bring us such joy and happiness and we are very proud of you.

Love,

Daddy

Zach:

Zach also amazes us. He is an awesome big brother to Grant and Abby and a fun companion for Calyn. He is very sensitive and often soft-spoken. His teacher often tells me what a sweet boy he is. He likes to hug on his friends and does not really understand personal space. His current favorite things include wrestling, math, and mazes. He is still a picky eater but is learning to try new things without as much complaining.

Calyn:

Calyn is a talker. She loves to talk. Her second love is all things musical. She often plays the guitar and sings. She loved the drum set that we gave her for her birthday. She likes to challenge the rules. She too is a great big sister to Grant and Abby is always wanting to help take care of them both. Both her school teacher and church teachers have told us how inquisitive she is. She really desires to understand things at deeper level than most of her peers. Calyn can be a handful at times but overall is a cheerful, vibrant little girl.