Highlights from the Ozarks

When you have 3 babies in 9months, you sort of give up the idea of "family vacations". You either leave 2 or 3 babies with loving cousins :) or you only go away for a few days at a time with lots of extended family with you.
Well now that Alex is 13 and the little kids are all 5, we undertook a great adventure... a week long family vacation in Branson. Thanks to some wonderful people in our church for making this possible!
Here are some pics...
We gave each of the kids a special day. On their day they could choose an activity and a place to eat. Olivia chose to go horseback riding. She absolutely LOVED it. She never stopped smiling. The rest of her day was spent shopping with mommy and eating pancakes at Cracker Barrel.

I just had to take this pic for Beshy. In case you can't read it, it says "If you can read this...roll me over."

David's birthday was Saturday. He chose to eat at Lambert's. We had lots of fun and ate way too much.

Vacating is completely exhausting :)

Unless you are really cool :)

The pool is our favorite place...

The boys have learned to swim underwater.

Always making a fashion statement...

Stay tuned for pics from go cart riding, ice cream eating and lots more....

Catching Up...

As I was posting pics of the flowers, I realized I had not posted some of the important events in May. So here is a pictorial overview....

My babies turned 5. Check out the shirts I made for them...again, I am not Martha Stewart but I did enjoy making the shirts and they liked wearing them.

Can you tell who doesn't like to have his picture taken? :)
Then they had their end of the year "Circus". This is a tradition at preschool. Last year Olivia was an acrobat. This year we had a lion and a strong man.
Lucas the Lion
Joshua the Strong ManFlexing those muscles :)
The performers with their proud Daddy

Then it was Livi's turn. Our baby girl graduated from Kindergarten. What an amazing year!

Walking in to the gym. Notice the big pink bow!

After the program we went back to the classroom where she received her certificate.

One final picture with our most wonderful Kindergarten teacher.

Bloomings...

A few minutes ago I went outside to take some pics of my hibiscus. I am so excited that it is actually blooming! I have loved these blooms for years at my cousin's house. She gave me some starter roots last fall. They slept peacefully in my garage for the winter. A month or so ago they began their life in the dirt. Well today I noticed the second great big beautiful bloom. As I was on my way to take pics of the hibiscus I stopped to capture some of the other colorful tenants in our mulch bed.

Like the pink daylilies.

And the purple flowers (I have no idea what they are called) that are blooming in front of our little angel.

The concrete statue was my mom's. I love seeing it with blooms all around.

And finally the reason I went on my journey down the walk...the hibiscus!

O'er the land of the free....

If you know me, you know that I LOVE any and all patriotic holidays and the music that comes with them. My favorites are The Star Spangled Banner and Battle Hymn of the Republic. More often than not the lyrics are boldly proclaimed by Sandi Patty or the Marine Corp Band. Today however, I could not get another performance off of my mind.

It was Super Bowl XXV, January 27, 1991. Just 10 days earlier, January 16 Operation Desert Storm had begun. This air assault ended a six month back forth power game called Operation Desert Shield. President H.W. Bush ordered the military into full battle. It was a time of remarkable patriotism and national pride. Our troops were valiantly pushing the invading Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. As part of the world was engulfed in scud missiles and gas masks, the rest of us were busy getting ready for the Super Bowl. It seemed almost irreverent to be making such a fuss over a trivial ballgame while men and women, our soldiers, were in harms way. Then, the moment that drew all of us together...the national anthem. If you watched it, I am sure you remember it. If you are too young to have witnessed it, trust me. It was a moment that history should remember.

Happy Memorial Day to all those who have fought for the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Happy Birthday

At 8:53 and 8:54 our boys officially turned 5. Can you believe it? I can't. It seems like yesterday that we were finding out we were pregnant. Quite the surprise when only 2 months earlier we had been in Oregon adopting a beautiful baby girl. "You will never conceive and carry another baby" I will never forget the fertility doctor saying that. At the time it cut my soul like dagger. Now it makes me laugh...never put God in the "can't" category :)

A few weeks after the initial shock came the bigger shock...it was identical twins. Laying on the ultrasound table I was shaking so hard they had to stop the ultrasound. This could not be, I had an 8 yr old and a 3 month old...it could be and it was. We were going to be parents of 4 kids...3 of whom would be born within 11 months. The twins were due July 8 ( a little more than a month shy of Olivia's first birthday).

I should have known it would not be that easy to calculate. The pregnancy was relatively uneventful, well except for the fact there were 2 babies and I was labeled "Advanced Maternal Age". But other than the crowded womb and wounded ego, it was pretty calm. That is until the wee hours of May 15, 2005. Suddenly we were speeding down I-24 making phone calls to everyone we knew that would wake up at 4 in the morning to pray. Our babies were going to be born that day, I was only 32 weeks along. We were scared, no other way to say it.

Once at the hospital, the staff went into red alert mode...AMA mother, twins, 32 weeks, that combo apparently catches the attention of medical personnel. After a whirlwind of iv's, monitors, nurses, doctors and ultrasounds it was determined that Joshua's sack had ruptured that morning but Lucas's fluid was dangerously low, his sack had ruptured maybe the day before. An emergency c-section was the plan. So at 8:53 Joshua David came into the world weighing 3lb 10 oz. Then 1 minute later at 8:53 Lucas Stout followed his brother into the world at 3lb 6oz. They were so tiny and fragile. Those early hours are a big blur to me. I have vague memories of asking about apgar scores, my bed being wheeled into the NICU, friends dropping by. The days that followed were rough, but our boys quickly proved themselves fighters. Within days they were labeled "feeder, grower" which in NICU terms meant that there were NO major health concerns other than weight. Lucas' jaundice was under control so all they had to do was grow. What a blessing!

At about 2 weeks old we were allowed to put them in the same isolette for a short "visit".

In a few weeks they were home with us....Then the real fun started :) I would tell you all about their first year but I don't remember it...seriously.

I love this picture. It looks like they are sharing a great story...or...planning a great scheme.
No walk down memory lane would be complete without the triple stroller that defined us for so many years :)

Putting them to bed on their first birthday.

When I checked on them last night, this is what I found. Five years after sharing a womb, they still sleep on top of each other. I guess when you were once the same person this makes you feel as if all is right.

So Happy 5th Birthday Joshua and Lucas. I love you forever, I like you for always, As long as I'm living, My babies you'll be.

Nashville Tennessee Flood 2010

We Are Tennessee

Well said!! Check out this link...

We Are Tennessee