Saying our Prayers!

Ian and I have been teaching the girls to say their prayers! We believe that it is very important to introduce Jesus Christ into their lives as much, and as soon as possible and even at their age, they've become intrigued! 

We started out small where Mommy or Daddy would pray this simple prayer, "Dear Jesus, thank you for this food! We love You! Amen". In ending the prayer, we would make a big deal of saying "Amen!" and then asked them if they could say it. Proclaiming "Amen" became something they enjoyed taking part in! So now before every meal, and sometimes snack, they pray. We are even to the point that they remind me if I forget. It is so precious to me that my 17month olds, although unaware of it's significance, recognize something of importance should be done before we begin eating. I am amazed at how these two incredible little girls have helped me notice the Lord more in my daily walk. Being the Mom, I know I am responsible for teaching them, but I feel like I'm learning so much from them as well. For me, it has become a "teacher becomes the student" mentality. They are genuinely naive and I love their simplicity & sincerity! Sweet valuable characteristics that seem to fade away with time.  

Children are so very precious to the Lord! I think I know why!!! ;) 

How we be...

It's been a slow going process, but we're finally on the mend and feeling more like ourselves! Tis the season for sickness, isn't it? :o/  Thank you for your prayers!

Bought the girls new shoes today...size 5! Amazing how much they've grown! They are getting a little stir crazy and aching to go outside. I am so thankful for this coming fall, so that I can let them play outside without having to cake them with sunscreen. Ian and I are on the lookout for some outside play equipment that they can climb on. We have a huge backyard and would love to provide the girls with an area to stretch their legs, but as of right now, there's nothing for them to do outside. They're beginning to view the playroom as, "Been there. Done that." Which is understandable when you play with the same toys in the same environment every day. Ian and I have also been discussing the possibility of day care two days a week. We think it would be really good for them to start being in a class setting with other kids. Not sure when, but we're considering it.

Ian's job is going well, but it's definitely difficult at times. For instance, the constant "bad" that he deals with takes a toll emotionally. He works the 4pm-2am shift, and his days off change every 8 weeks. So the girls & I can't always count on him coming to church with us; he & I can't get into a couples bible study like we wish we could; being on an opposite schedule from the rest of the world makes it hard to have friends over because our weekends are typically mid-week; he & I operate on completely different times, so we rarely get time together alone. Thankfully, through it all, the Lord is the glue that holds Ian and I together! He is a great officer and I am so thankful that he enjoys his job!

If we put the girls in day care, I may consider going back to work part time. I'm not sure, but it's something I'm praying about. For now, I am thankful to have my "outlets", as it were. Blogging, Facebook, and Skype are blessings to me because it provides me with a way to stay connected with those I love. Uninterrupted phone calls are hard to make with the girls constantly requiring my attention, but as they get older, I hope to get better at that method of communication too!

Icky Sicky

Yep, we've got the head cold 'round here. It's been awfully rough to deal with! I wish there was more I could do for my poor babies, but sadly this thing just has to run it's course. I'm running on little sleep & LOTS of caffeine! Poor little things just want to be held all the time and they fight sleep because they can't suck their thumbs with plugged noses. It's been hard to provide them with any comfort. Mommy needs another set of arms! We are on the road to recovery, but it slow going. We would appreciate your prayers over us as we battle this!

My birthday!

I must confess that I have been abundantly spoiled as of late. Besides getting over 75 well-wishes from friends on Facebook, here are a few pictures of my 28th! 

On the 3rd, we went on a date with our best friends to Lake Bryan!

 Cherise made me a very yummy cake!

 No date is complete without some form of caffeine, plus we wanted to stay up late chatting & playing games!

 The 9th is my birthday and the best gifts I have call me "Mama"! 

 Me & E!

 My sweet family!

 Mom Mader sent me a cake and Ian sang to me!

 He watched a chick flick with me!

 Today we took the girls to the zoo for the first time!

 We ate cheeseburgers at the caffe'!

 A statue monkey

 Helping Dad push the stroller

 Ice cream sweet treat!

 Relaxin' with Dad

 Fun with dinner! 

 Hotdogs & noodles!

 Kelsie dancing

 Karis clappin' for her sister!

It has been a birthday to remember & cherish!! Thank you all for being a part of my life! I am truly blessed!

New background!

Can you tell I'm aching for fall?! Typically, I enjoy Texas' hot weather, but this summer has been a scorcher...literally record breaking! I'm ready to say "goodbye" to that and "hello" to sweater weather! You know those days when it's just brisk enough to smell a chill in the air and all you want to do is snuggle up under a blanket, drink a nice cup of coffee, and read...well, ok...I'm dreaming a bit. Other than children's books, there's not a whole lot of reading going on around here. I'm thinking that I will greet Fall with the same hustling & bustling as usual. My sweet girls are full of energy and keep me goin' 100 miles an hour! But it's so much fun; I can't complain. I don't really care for freezing cold weather, though. I'm ok with snow being a novelty. ;)  When the girls are old enough to care & miss it, we will travel to it! Anyhoo...

Oh, my birthday's tomorrow and aside from the fun of getting my hair done, Ian is taking his ladies to the zoo! T'will be the first time the twins get to go and I'm so excited! I'm also so jazzed about attending Mom to Mom this year with the GBC Southwood ladies on Monday mornings. I would ask for your prayers because it's going to be a little rough on the girls at first. They usually sleep in til 8:30 and the study begins at 9:15; they are also not used to being in the nursery for over 2 hours, so we will need prayers over us and the nursery workers as we learn to adjust. The only bummer to the end of this week is that we're going to a "going away get-together" for our Ludlow & Turner friends. ;(  Don't like saying "goodbye". We know the Lord's hand will be upon them as they move and wish them the very best. But they will be missed!

Hope y'all have a great weekend!!

Singin' & Dancin'!

Right now, we are loving the intro song to the Backyardigans. They aren't interested in the show, just the theme song! It is SO cute to see them get all excited, sing & dance about when they hear it!! 

Kissy, Kissy!

My girls are in the "giving kisses" stage! And they both know how to make it sound good! MmmUuuAaaHhh!!
- Blowing a kiss is a must when we say "goodbye" to anyone.
- Kisses on the face are reserved for those we know really well. (Jason, Nana, Grandad, MelMel, Derrick, Cherise, Uncle Chris)
- The girls give kisses to the dog & cat.
- They even smooch their snuggli's (blanket pet) in their cribs & car seats.
- Mommy is greeted with a kiss every morning as a sign of thanks for getting them out of bed.
- We also love kissing sister!
- We're always up for giving Daddy kisses!!

Karis is more of a kisser and initiates moreso than Kels. Kels prefers to blow a kiss from afar, but they are both so very sweet! 

 

Sweet Hearts!! I just adore these tender moments!

A tid bit to chew on

"God doesn't want us to know the future. He wants us to know Him. He wants us to trust Him to guide us into the future one step at a time. In order to understand God's leading, we must seek Him for every step." ~ Stormie Omartin
I stole this quote from my sister. She posted it on facebook and I just love it! Wanted to share it with you! Thanks for sharing, Manz!!