The Week Before Thanksgiving

It's 7am on Thanksgiving morning and our house is still quiet. Mimi and Papa have been here for three days, and they have warn the kids out and the kids have warn them out!

I thought that I would get up this morning and update the blog before all the Thanksgiving festivities start. We have had a busy week filled with family, and we are so blessed to have more family coming in today and an opportunity to visit with them all. Since my next post will be about Thanksgiving, here's what we've done in the week leading up to Thanksgiving...

Jack tried Paps' coffee- just kidding!

We watched videos

The twins got their Synagis shots

Harper practiced walking with a hula hoop

Abby tried to take a nap

It didn't last long...

My girls

Most importantly, we took naps

Lots of Friends

We have spent this weekend with friends and family doing a variety of things- mostly eating- and Tony and I put two exhausted little ones to bed. 

For the kids and I, the weekend started early with dinner with some of my work friends. Harper and Jack had fun with Jan, Judith, Celine and Joseph and we had fun laughing at their silly expressions and squeals during dinner.

Friday night we headed to our friends' the Crain's for an early dinner. Both Harper and Jack enjoyed playing with their friend, J.R., and getting to explore a new place with new toys. Tony and I also enjoyed a great dinner of stuffed turkey, squash, and pecan pie with Blue Bell ice cream, and we enjoyed the great company.

Saturday we bundled up the kiddos and took our loves to the mall- along with seemingly everyone else in Frisco. That place was packed! We tried to get in and get out, but we had a small hiccup when Tony realized that Jack's elephant was missing. I walked the length of the mall to find the abandoned blue elephant, leaving Tony to tend to both babies in the crowd. Lucky for us, the elephant was found and we escaped the madness at the mall. I think I'll be doing most of my shopping this year online- it was crazy.

Saturday night, we had dinner with our friends Heidi and Jeff, and Chrissy and Rob. Harper and Jack did great at the Sterlings and had a good time playing with Madeline. Madeline was cute- she chased Jack around trying to give him a hug and said "Harper!" anytime Harp got close to her. I think the funniest moment of the evening came from Madeline and Jack. Madeline was on a riding toy and was scooting around the house; she scooted all over the place, and Jack followed behind- quite a bit behind- crying and trying to catch Madeline (it was pretty cute).

Sunday we made the mistake of going to the grocery store- another mad house- but we made it home in time for Nana, Pop, and Uncle Tanner to come over. The kids were excited to have new playmates for the afternoon, and Tony and I were happy to have some more hands to help us. Uncle Tanner had to have knee surgery, so he played as best as he could. Jack was interested in Tanner as soon as he walked in the door, but Harper took a good while to warm up to him. As you can see, they were friends by the time Tanner left.  Tanner hadn't seen the kids since August, so he was impressed with their new skills and kept commenting that they've gotten so big and they're doing so many new things.  The kids certainly were busy. I'll end with some pictures from our day- goodnight!

Gratitude

Tonight my house is quiet. The kids are in a peaceful slumber, the dog is in her den, and I'm perched on the edge of the bed with a laptop on my knees, ticking out letters on the keyboard and listening to the rise and fall of Jack's breathing over the monitor.

Tony is out of town tonight; he's in Houston for a job fair. He got his suit pressed, printed copies of his resume, and went into battle. When I talked with him this afternoon, he said the job fair was "disappointing"- not many people looking for a GIS position. So, tomorrow he will be home and we will face these challenges together as a team.

We have had quite a bit of practice pulling together as a team this year. In fact, I think that this year has been both the worst, and best year of our marriage- sounds like an oxymoron, but it's fact. I started to list all of the things that have happened this year, but I realize that listing those "bad" things won't change them, and that the "best things" category can be summed up with two words: Harper & Jack.

Before the twins were born, I kept something called a gratitude journal, and every night I would write down five things I was thankful for. Some days, it was hard to find five reasons to be thankful, but it helped me keep my perspective when the world seemed like it was spinning out of control. After the twins were born, sadly, this journal went by the wayside. I know it's something I need to resurrect; I just need to make time to do it.

So, I thought since Tony was out of town, the kids were in bed, and the house was quiet, I could take some time now to jot down five simple things I'm thankful for- to etch out a small moment to help me realize just how much we have, instead of dwelling on what feels like a setback today. I also thought I'd pepper the blog with pictures of the kiddos fresh out of the NICU to remind us of just how thankful we should be.

This blog is for Harper and Jack- years from now I hope they read this and see how much they are loved, how much they have grown, and see all the silly things they've done. But, I also hope they read this blog one day and see that things aren't always good, and life is messy, and that unexpected things can pull the world apart at the seams. When they see this, I hope they also see that despite all things, we have tried to remain optimistic and remember all the things we have to be thankful for:

1. I am thankful for the two little bundles fast asleep down the hall- the reason I write this blog, and the best things that Tony and I have ever done.

2. I am thankful for our village. It is said that it takes a village to raise a child; well, we have an awesome village full of family and friends who have been loving, supporting, and exceptionally great at helping us transition into parenthood.

3. I am thankful for my husband- the man who has endured a year of "crazy" without going crazy (at least not clinically anyway). He is the best choice I've made.

4. I am thankful for Abby, the spotted dog. She has also had a rough year, full of many unexpected changes, but she hasn't run away (even though she had an opportunity). I am thankful that she reminds me of who I am, and who I was long ago when she first came to us (5 years now) and she is patient with me when I seem to forget myself.

5. I am thankful for God's faithfulness and grace; without these two things, this year would have been unbearable. I pray for the grace to trust God and His plan and for the ability to be thankful for what we have.

Our Weekend in Pictures

This weekend has flown by and I can't believe it's time to get ready to start another work week. Tony, the kids, and I enjoyed our time together this weekend and we all got to spend some time outside in the beautiful weather.

We started our weekend with a fun walk together- all 5 of us- and we met some neighbors that have a daughter 14 days older than the twins, so it was fun to get to see them interact. When we got home from our walk, we let the kids explore the house while we chased them around. As you can see, Jack and Harper and Abby had fun playing in the pantry; Jack also managed to sneak away long enough to reek havoc in the bathroom.

Saturday morning the kids and I loaded up and headed to Arlington so I could get my haircut and to visit Great Granny in Fort Worth. Jack and Harper had so much fun playing with Granny and seeing all the new things they could get into. Jack loves going outside and he and Granny spent some time walking around the backyard- he was smiling from ear to ear. Harper also like Granny's backyard and was in awe of all the leaves falling from the trees and the sounds of the wind chimes. Inside, the kiddos got to play and got their height measurements put on the door frame in Granny's guest bedroom. This door frame has been in use to measure all the grandkids (and spouses) since 1989, and now my kids have a place on that door frame. I'm just sad my Paw Paw couldn't be the one to put that yardstick up to measure them, but I know he's there in spirit. I'm so glad we got to see Granny, and I'm so thankful for Granny's help so I could get my hair cut.

Sunday we spent our day hanging around the house and taking a walk and watching Harper walk as she pushed a laundry basket (her new skill). Here are a few pictures of today's antics- these kids keep us on our toes, but bring us so much joy and laughter as well. I'm not sure what we did before Jack and Harper, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't as interesting as our weekends are now. Below you will find pictures of Tony's "piano" concert (using the kids' toy piano), and Harper and Jack getting stuck in various places around the house.

Even when we don't have any plans, somehow Tony and I end up exhausted on Sunday nights. I am ready to crawl into bed and rest so I can be up early tomorrow to see what new things the kiddos learn next week.

Chasing Harper

We have had a crazy week- mostly thanks to Miss Harper who has been climbing, crawling, scooting, and getting stuck in a variety of places. Durinda has been on her toes the past couple of days, and Tony and I have had to play rescue crew a few times. Jack doesn't help the situation because he laughs when Harper gets stuck different places or he crawls over to watch her; Jack makes a good sidekick for Harper's adventures. I'm sure that when they can talk, we'll hear Jack encouraging her to do all sorts of things. So far, Harper has pushed one of the baby gates and found a small opening in the side; she has used this opening to wiggle through and head straight for the stairs. Harp has also cralwed behind the tv, and she's gotten stuck behind a chair. We never know what this little one will do next; I'm also including a picture of her climbing up the baby gate- who knew she was strong enough to do that!

Jack and Harper have also started playing with each other more this week than ever before. It's so neat to see them get excited when their brother/sister wakes up from a nap; they grin and clap and are ready to play. Their favorite thing to do is chase each other around- it makes them giggle and it's so cute; Jack and Harper also love to look out the window and spend time there every afternoon.  I hope they continue to want to play together and have fun with each other.

Aside from chasing the kiddos, we've had a pretty quiet week. Tony has been doing some things around the house, and I've been to the gym three days in a row this week- I'm lucky I can still walk. When I got home from the gym today, both kids were sitting in their high chairs and Tony was cooking dinner. The kids were excited to watch him cook, and he proudly announced I was walking into the "Cooking with Dad Show".  I couldn't help but smile when I saw their smiles and heard Tony talking in his best Julia Childs voice.