Rain Rain Go Away...

This whole Flood 2009 stuff is crazy! With Kevin being in roofing, he is always checking the weather online to see if they can roof or not. He was saying early last week that it would be raining everyday all week. I thought it was not the best for his business, but at least that meant that he would be doing work around here (mostly paperwork) and some appts, but a relatively easy schedule where we would see him a lot. And it just kept raining...and raining...

Sunday night the storm was so loud that we could not believe that no kids mysteriously appeared in bed with us! Mia said she didn't hear anything and Chloe said that she heard it but just crawled all the way under her covers "except for her eyes"---in her words. Quinnlan's sound machine worked wonders...not a peep from her either!

The girls had no school yesterday because of a work day, so for the past 2 days we have had to be indoors. The sun is out today (sort of) but when we went outside, the mosquitos were so bad that we just came back in...ugh!

While Kevin is going insane with roofing calls, I may be going insane (not really) with cabin fever.

My family room looks like a bomb went off...even though it is actually just New York City...Mia and Chloe's American Girl dolls are there on vacation.

Then they both decided that they wanted it to be my birthday again, so they have been choosing some of their toys as gifts for me---gift bag and tissue paper and all. They ran out of toy ideas, so Chloe's last gift was a bag filled with tissue paper and then she had wrapped folded tissue paper in wrapping paper...hilarious. Happy Birthday to Me :)

Then we did Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique where Mia is the beautician, Chloe is the sales girl and I am the client. Fun, fun...I love Barbie makeup. The colors are fabulous.

Mia and her yellow (!) Barbie lipstick

2 manicurists---what great service!

Chloe adding up my spa bill

We've made necklaces, headbands and bracelets out of these little foam beads that I had conveniently hidden because of the choking hazard for Quinnie. I guess I should have "hidden" them in the garbage...I have been picking them up all day.

Along with all the fun we are having here (smile) there is not much fun in our basement. I keep looking at the news coverage where they show houses up to their rooftops with water and I count us as blessed to only have wet carpet in our basement. Kevin bought a giant wet-vac and so when Quinnie naps, I am wet-vac-ing. B-O-R-I-N-G. Oh well...

Some funny things we have discovered about Quinnie this week:

1) Quinnlan LOVES to be under our breakfast table. Kevin and I both died laughing when we caught ourselves saying, "girls, don't feed Quinnlan from the table" the other night when she had eaten earlier than the rest of us.

2) Our baby is now walking. She is so proud of herself and has taken about 5 steps at a time. I am in serious need of some baby gates now! She has also had her first taste of climbing the stairs. Now that is all she wants to do. She squeals the entire way.

3) She loves ALL berries. She has discovered blackberries ("blabla") and is in love.

yummm...

She also is a little obsessed with blueberries ("baboo"). I'm glad that she is on the path to eating more like Chloe (my fruit lover and child that will try new things) than Mia (who I hope will one day eat better...that's what vitamins are for, right?). She also LOVES Trader Joe's Spaghettios...mmmmm...the taste of my childhood (of course, mine were always good ol' Chef Boyardee).

One last thing: it always makes me smile to see how different my twins are. Mia loves to wear dresses and skirts (everyday) and loves to dance and twirl.

And Chloe loves to jump around---she really wants to do karate with Kevin. She does karate kicks all the time:

A Father's Love...

I love those moments when we get little reminders (some are bigger and more in-our-face than others) of our Heavenly Father's love for us.

Being a mom, there are so many times throughout the day that I do things for my children and they don't even realize that I didn't have to do it, I just did them because I love them...like making meals, doing laundry, cleaning up their messes while they are at school, instead of making them do it (OK, that one I sometimes do because Mommy can do it faster and better-haha), reading them stories or playing Littlest Pet Shop, etc... Some things are just things I do because I'm the Mom and it's my J-O-B, but others I do because I know it is important to them and makes them feel cared for and loved.

With God, He has no J-O-B. He doesn't HAVE to do anything. He didn't have to let me be born in America to Christian parents. He didn't have to let me marry an amazing man and have 3 amazing kids. He didn't have to provide for our family with blessings to allow us to have a roof over our heads, food that we put down the garbage disposal because no one would want to eat the same leftovers 2 days in a row, 2 cars (!), one parent that stays home with the kiddos, air conditioning (and heat), laundry and dishwashing machines (!), to name a few. Like Andy Stanley said at church awhile back, compared to the majority of the people around our world, to have any of these things, WE ARE RICH! Not to mention the blessings of our health and safety.

Then here I come along...poor poor me, because I'm now "old" and 35, I'm throwing myself a pity-party...anyone want to attend? I'm sure He just shakes His almighty head and sighs.

What a brat.

Kind of like how we try to tell our children to not complain about their toys because there are people all over Atlanta and the world that would love to have some of these toys, much less a WHOLE room in the house called a PLAYROOM! Isn't it silly how we are like children sometimes? Well, God is our Father and I'm just so thankful that He loves me and doesn't give me what I truly deserve...I don't even want to know what His time-out or spanking looks/feels like!

I'm writing all of this because there were some things that I was struggling with surrounding my "big" birthday...stupid things, silly things that I wish I knew more about by this age, that I wish I was better at by this age, that I wish I was more "together" with parts of my life and my role in my family by this age... I confess that I didn't even go to God about them. I just went and cried and complained to my sweet husband about them and I'm sure he mentally shook his head too, but outwardly, he was very sweet.

In my mind, with all the BIG things in this world that really matter, my little insecurities don't even need to be mentioned to God. His plate is too full with wars and famines and cancer, etc. But, what is AWESOME is that HE KNOWS MY HEART. I don't have to mention them to Him. As I was crying and complaining to Kevin, He was there beside me hearing me, too.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have had several things (some even through blog-stalking) cross my path unexpectedly that have been answers to some of my silly questions...Things that could help alleviate some of my insecurities. I bet that God just kind of "dropped" those nuggets of inspiration and know-how into my life the way we do things for our children "just because." I have also felt a peace that I don't have to have it all together. That is what life is for. More importantly, that is what a life with the Lord as my guide is for. (Sorry for the grammar there.)

I know I am totally rambling, but in my mind, this all makes sense :)

Reading and music speak to me.

I am reading a book with my girls Bible Study called Crazy Love and I just finished the 1st chapter and watched the videos from the website www.crazylovebook.com and I just felt the need to give our all-powerful, all-knowing, almighty God some crazy love from my little spot in this galaxy. Check it out...

Also, a few songs that I have recently downloaded have been on repeat in my Ipod and I am loving them and the awesome message that God is speaking to me through them:

-It is Well by Todd Fields

"When PEACE like a river attendeth my way, when SORROW like sea billows roll. Whatever my lot, You have taught me to say, it is WELL, It is WELL with my soul..."

-Breathe on Me by Todd Fields

"Forever, You are my reason for living, merciful Saviour unending, Breathe On Me. Forever You are the God of my story, write EVERY line for YOUR GLORY, Breathe On Me."

I don't know what else to say.

Awesome...

A New Season

It feels like a new season is upon us...and I don't just mean that Fall is right around the corner. (Although, I am LOVING this incredible COOL weather and it is giving me full-on Fall Fever.)

Last month, Mia and Chloe turned 5 and began full-day Pre-K. I have had some issues with their school/teacher and have prayed so much about whether to keep them in or bring them home (it felt like those were my only 2 options). After speaking with the school's director on Friday and going through all of my concerns, I felt some relief not having it bottled up inside of me every time I went through the doors. Yesterday morning, the director came to me and told me about the great meeting they had with the girls' teacher and that hopefully things would be changing and I really feel as if things are turning around. Kevin and I decided that everyone deserves a second chance, and so that is our plan. These are my first born children we're talking about here...it's hard not to be emotional about it!

The whole new-school-thing has been like a new season to me.

Last week, Quinnlan turned 1 and has turned into her own little person with this amazing personality! She loves playing games and mimics everything I do. She will be walking any day now and then things will really get crazy! I have been weaning her this week and it has been kind of sad. I'm not necessarily sad that I will be missing nursing, even though I do love the special bond it has created between us. I know that you can still cuddle while feeding a baby a bottle---that's how I cuddled with Mia and Chloe (I only nursed them about 3 months). But, I am just sad that my baby (possibly my last depending on who you speak with in our house) is not so much of a baby anymore. I guess having older children makes you realize how quickly stages pass. I remember chomping at the bit for each new stage for Mia and Chloe. When they were infants, I couldn't wait for them to roll over, then to eat baby food, then to sit, then to eat finger food, then to stand, then to walk and talk... With little Quinnie, I'd have lived a year with her as an infant that just nursed and laid still in one spot as long as she was a good sleeper :) I didn't want each stage to end, because it could be my last---that's why people look forward to grandbabies, right!?

So, weaning and walking feels like a new season.

I am going to be 35 on Friday. From now on, I will no longer be able to check the 25-34 age box. I will be grouped with the "35-who knows what age" group... Before I know it, I will be able to get my Senior discount at Kroger on Wednesday and get AARP hotel discounts. Ugh... OK, I am being a little bit melodramatic, but I am officially in my mid-thirties now and I have no idea how I got here. I do know that the past 10 years since I was in my mid-twenties has been an adventure. No complaints here... Ten years ago, I was barely married...clueless of who I needed/wanted to be in a marriage (I had to learn that there is no I in TEAM, but did God intend for us to lose ourselves completely? I think not...) BIG learning curve for me...still learning, actually. Kevin, stop nodding :) Ten years ago, I had no children and had no idea that I would end up being the mom to 3 girls, much less a mom to multiples! I never would have thought that I would have had to go through a miscarriage that truly shaped my faith. God is awesome all the time, but when He shows up to hold us in His arms when we feel such sadness, it is life-changing. I love my life now, ten years later, with all its lumps and bumps along the way, and I wouldn't change a thing.

Having this semi-milestone birthday feels like a new season is ahead.

Lots of changes going on now and in my future...I'll choose to embrace them whole-heartedly with both arms and a smile on my face (and maybe a little wrinkle cream along the way)...