Kathryn and Laura's Birthday Party

A couple of Saturdays ago we went to a  birthday party at the oil ranch and really had good time. The girls got to ride ponies, pet goats, hay ride, train ride and Doozer milked a cow!! They had a cow milking station set up and Doozer just kept on about wanting to milk the cow so she walked right up there and the lady showed her what to do and when she did the milk shot out and Doozer jumped!! Monkey got grossed out and said "Doozer was touching that cows hinney and milk came out"!! It was a fun day with our family and friends, very glad we were invited!!

Kind of Funny

Sunday was halloween as you all know but my girls do not even know what it is!! I could barely go to stores without them getting scared of all the halloween junk creeping them out... Anyway I will stay on the point ☻ Sunday night the doorbell kept ringing, in spite of the fact that we did not turn our porch light on for this very reason!! One of us would go to the door and explain we did not have any candy otherwise they just kept standing there ringing the bell... Almost every time the kids would not have any costumes on, at one point it was teenage boys carrying their backpacks!! So Chad and I kept making the statement to each other "they were not even dressed", we meant they weren't in costume!! Anyway long story short Monkey was later telling someone that "kids just kept coming asking for candy and they WEREN'T even dressed"!!! I thought this was really funny so I thought I would share, she just couldn't believe kids were asking for candy without clothes on!!!

A Trip to Blue Bell

Well it has been a long time since I sat down to write on my blog but we went to Brenham to the BlueBell Plant and also to a miniature horse farm with Gram and MaBeck back in July or Spet, can't really remember ☻ The girls had a lot of fun except Emma. She does not like to be in closed places with a lot of people she does not know. At BlueBell they walk you around the plant, which has not windows, down halls and into small rooms. Moneky shook the entire time ☻But she got ice cream at the end so everything was better. At the horse farm the girls walked right upto the fence and pet the horses without any problem. One of the horses reached thru and started eating Doozer's skirt which was pretty funny, to me at least!! We even packed our lunch and ate on the court house steps in downtown Brenham.

Taking It Easy

I am taking it a lot easier these days just enjoying my girls and their toddler years, which for the twins are almost over, they are 5 in December.......... Time has flown by and I can't tell how sad I am that they are so big... Their young years are a totaly blur except for the "big" moments, sad to say. I had been reading several parenting books and organizing/scheduling my time and spent most of the time beating myself up for failing to be just like the parents in the book. SO I decided to put them aside, almost immediately I felt a weight lifted off of me and alot of guilt as well, and I am following the MAIN book the Bible as my parenting guide. I don't want to offend anyone that reads parenting books it was just a little overwhelming for me personally. So we are spending a lot of time doing the small things, making crafts and outside. I have gotten totally relaxed with school but they are only four and three. And I also want to clear up that I can not teach them together, the 15months between Abby and the twins really shows up when doing school. Her attention span is a lot shorter. To help I have been teaching them separately which they like a lot. I figure they will have enough time to go to school when the time comes!!

They are growing so fast I can barely keep up with all the new things they are saying and doing like I should. I beat myself up all the time for not journaling, I sure feel alot of better if I would JUST do it..... So hopefully I will start ☻We have started going to prayer meeting on Wed mornings and the girls really like it. Yesterday they gave prayer request and then sang "I am Glad He laid His Hand on Me", makes a mommy proud! The other day I was driving and Anna/Emma started singing "There's Just Something About that Name". I am so thankful my children sing and know church songs, God has used them more than once to sing a song at just the right moment that I needed to hear from God. I am not trying to boast I am just thankful that my children love church, they get so excited when we go and I hope and pray it stays that way!! Chad was out working and saw a Thanksgiving tree so he suggested we do that and we did! The girls just love it and it makes it feel more like Fall even when it is 90 degrees outside. So we are just really enjoying ourselves!!

Thanksgiving Party

Personalize your own free digital collage

Today we we had a Thanksgiving party at our house with all the girls little friends, it was a lot of fun. I decided to do it early because once you get into November all the busyness begins and there is hardly enough time for anything! Although I am hoping to have a Christmas/Twins Bday party one in December. I planned out two crafts for the children but most of their time they played outside and today was the perfect day for that because it was so pretty!! All in all there were 17 toddlers and 2 infants!! Poor George and Ethan were the only boys except the two infants, for his sake I hope they are up and running soon as George/Ethan are quite out numbered, 15 to 2!!!! I am so thankful for all my friends that I get to share motherhood with!! Hope you enjoy all the pictures as we sure enjoyed the day. Although Ethan might not say the same since he got hit in the head twice with a plastic baseball bat!! So thank you to all who came, I had fun and I know my girls for sure did!! Just an FYU that is not a Christmas Tree but it is a Thanksgiving Tree!! The topper says Give Thanks ☻

I am still here!!

WOW it has been a really busy last few months!! Lots of traveling, which we love!! There is nothing quite like traveling to other churches, seeing more of God's people and just lifting eachother up.. It is wonderful, I wouldn't have it any other way. Plus our children love to travel as well, they do so good!! There is something that is so special about mingling our spirits with others and hearing their testimonies, it is very encouraging. Not to mention you make friends for life too! Anyway I just wanted to pop in and let you all know we are still here and I have a lot of pictures to post and stories to tell so when I get some extra free time I will get on here and acutally write something!!

First Day of School

Today was the day that I started the girls doing school, Pre K 4 is what it is called, it's like pre pre kindergarten!!! When you say it like that it seems very funny. I just want to note here that I am not doing this because I want them to be super smarter than everyone else, although I would not be opposed to that. The girls love doing school work and it adds an amazing structure to your day too!! And of course the benefit that you are filling their sponges with knowledge instead of just running around all day playing. Anyway it went really well and I am looking forward to this year of school and them learning new things, it is so fun to watch them as they learn they just light up. So here are some pictures of our first day. I took their play room and used half of it for school and the other half is still theirs to play in. Anna insisted that they wear clothes that they don't always wear!! Which I took to mean she wanted to wear a "uniform". Luckliy for me I bought quite a few skirts from Dillards when I was pregnant with the twins for $2.75!! So it worked out great!! I just love school uniforms anyway, we just need to knee socks!!

A whole lot of nothing

Well since it has been summer and extrememly hot we have not been doing anything, honestly!! I know I posted on here about getting the book Manager's of their Chores but I due to another top priority I had to put that book on hold and read "Strong Willed Children" and "Shepherding Their Hearts" I think is the name of the last one but not totally sure. I know that books do not solve everything nor do I follow them to a T either but I am hoping to gain some insight. The main book I read is the Bible which has the teachings for raising children but there other books are Bible based so I am hoping to glean some more. I can remember very vividly having a conversation with Becky about "strong willed" children and I remember saying to her there is no such thing as a strong willed child just a disobedient child..... Oh why oh why did I not keep my BIG MOUTH SHUT? So along comes Abby who is a wonderful child, when she wants to be and when she does not want to be she challenges every form of authority that comes near her. At first I thought oh my word she is so disodedient and that was the only thing wrong with her. Don't get me wrong I still believe that strong willed children are just disobedient children but I also have found that in my case it is not just wanting to disobey, it goes much deeper than that. So my good friend Angela just happened to be here one day and witnessed one of Abby's "attacks" and willful behavior. I broke down crying becuase I did not understand what I was doing wrong in raising her. After talking awhile Angela told me about a book that Dr Dobbson had written call "Strong Willed Children" so of course I ordered it right away. AS I began to read the testimonies of all the mothers of strong willed children I felt like i was reading mine and Abby's life. So I felt the Lord had allowed Angela to be here to witness Abby's sometimes strong willed behavior and I am thankful, I had been praying and crying for the Lord to please show me what I could do that would help her. Becuase left to her own demise Abby will end up a very angry adult. So if you have or think you might have a strong willed child I encourage you to read this book. I have not finished it, it takes me a very LONG time to finish a book, but I am learning things. And hopefully will see a change in Abby, for the better. I am reading it along with Shepherding their hearts so I think we will make some headway, or at least I am hoping. So if you think of me or Abby I would really appreciate you saying a prayer for us as we go through this together and try to do better. She is a great kid don't get me wrong and has a lot of great qualities but this just happens to be her weakness. And of course being the baby does not help at all ☻ I have put the girls school room together and we are hoping to start school come Monday, the girls have really been missing it and I love the structure that it adds to our day. I am working on getting a schedule together for us too. I have finally started doing weekly meal planners which is a big deal for me!! But it has ended up saving me about $20.00 every time I go to the grocery store so that is nice. I will post pics of our school room, once I take them!! You can expect them next month, LOL!!!

Tadpoles

I must be totally insane but we are now raising tadpoles!! I was cleaning our the kids pool and found A LOT of little tadpoles swimming around. So instead of just tossing them out I decided to do a good deed and let them finish growing!! Aunt Becky so kind to supply us with a fish bowl for Abby's birthday. which I never bought a fish for, so that is their new home. Well I have to be honest we did not save ALL of them, the girls don't know that though ☻ So I rushed in the house and of course googled how to raise tadpoles and it looks very "easy" but only time will tell. It did mention that tadpoles love lettuve, which I think is very odd but I threw some in the bowl and they are all huddled around it ☻ Learn something new everyday. So we are going to take care of our Poles, as Emma calls them, and see if we can get a frog or two out of about 50 tadpoles..... This should be very interesting

My Beautiful Anna

To Anna my beautiful first born!! You are growing so fast these days, not physically but in every other way, you are so fun to watch and listen to. Well I think so but your sisters might not agree right now as you can be quite bossy and know all the answers too ☻ We went to the eye doctor on Wednesday and you did so good, I was very impressed with your manners. Dr. Brown even said "She is the best four year old I have ever had" so of course mommy was very proud to hear that. I think I may have walked out of the office a few inches taller!! You cried a little at the beginning because you had to have your eyes dilated, again. Or as you call it "I have to get my eyes diedilated with dew drops", this is what you tell your sisters. I am not sure where dew drops came from but since the first time you had to go to the eye doctor you have called them dew drops. As I watch you sometimes my heart hurts a little that I never had one on one time with you, quality time is your main love language, so I am putting forth an extra effort to spend time with you and your sisters too. Yesterday your word of the day was "conversation" and you said it every chance you had and most of the time you used it correctly!! You were talking to Abby, who was telling a story about a frog in her bed and you wanted to know "What conversation did you have with the frog?" You love to learn and have school so I have set up a school room and we will hopefully start on Monday, which I know you are going to love since you wont stop asking me ☻

Uncle Bubba is a Fireman

My brother Shane is a fireman in Lake Worth and on one of our visits this year he invited us over to see his fire station!! The girls were able to climb on the trucks, explore, turn lights on and even get to slide down a pole!! They had a lot of fun that day. Thank you Uncle Bubba ☻ This picture collage made with Smilebox

It is what it is

I just wanted to make this short comment about my blog... I started this to write about my girls and my girls only and as I began to do that I felt like sharing some of my testimony as a mom of three little ones that are very close together. Do I think I have it harder than other moms? NO, but I also don't want to sugar coat anything, other than my three baby girls ☻ As I have opened up about my battles along with the funny stories I have had several mothers come to me thanking me for being honest. Being a mother is the greatest joy one could ever experience, but just because it is a joy does not mean it is easy. I can remember going to Chick Fila and seeing other moms looking so cute in their nice clothes, hair fixed and smiling... I felt so guilty as I tried to smile when really all I wanted to do was lay on the bench and go to sleep!! Looking cute was not words you would use to described me either!! I kept wondering to myself what am I doing wrong? Why can't I have it all together and "look cute" too? The answer took a long time to come but it did come and that is the important thing to remember. I can not do this by myself, it's ok to cry, it's ok to not get dressed every day,it's to not clean the house every week (sometimes) and above all it's ok to let people know YOU ARE NOT SUPER WOMAN, you need help and prayer. As a mother we are not reinventing the wheel and no one is asking us to. I remember when I gave me testimony at the Tomball church and afterwards people came to Chad and I said they were sorry they had no idea I was going through those things... Up to that point I had not shared or allowed my spiritual family to know I needed help or encouragement too. So I decided to incorporate this into my blog too... So if you are reading this and you need someone to call on, I am here!! I will gladly share your load with you and Jesus will too

Just Living

Well I have decided just when you think you have gotten it all figured it, everyone is on a schedule, everyone is sleeping, some battles are being won and then WHAM you fall on your face. You wake up the next day everyone is crying, no one listens to a word you say might as well be talking to Molly (the dog) or the door knob. Showering isn't an option at this point, neither is getting dressed. I take a moment to try and gather myself and while looking around I realize I have not cleaned the house in almost two weeks........ The tears start burning in my eyes promising to start flowing down my cheeks at any moment, the kids are fighting and yes I am still in my pajamas...... At this very point I have a choice to make, I can either cry and wallow in self pity, I mean come on what other mother can possibly do ALL that I do? I am the only mother who has three children 15mths apart, goes to church faithfully even going to meetings, has started homeschooling, my husband works two jobs and of course the list in my mind just keeps mounding of all the things I do and take care of, of course I can have a melt down, I deserve to have a melt down and feel sorry for myself, right? and then there is the other choice.... Cry out to the Lord, thank Him for my beautiful children, stay in my pajamas and play with them... Come on, does it really matter that there is dust all over the house (as long as there are no bugs due to filthiness, mold growing or unidentified substances growing on the floor) and who cares what I am wearing the girls for sure don't. So my point in saying all this is well I have no idea!!! I am coming to realize that none of what I think matters actually matters at all. Spending quality time with the girls is the most important thing I can do along with having an excellent marriage. So I am just trying to learn how to lean on the Lord, which is harder than it sounds even with situations like the one I mentioned above. I love my girls and I love being their mom. My goal is to get organized which I have been trying to do since the beginning of the year but I am a procrastinator when it comes to things like this so please say a prayer that I can do it. I can barely plan our meals and that is usually the night before! Thanks to Denise Young who is sharing her words of wisdom I have ordered Manager's of Their Homes, a book that I am hoping will help me out a lot!!

Coming out of Survival Mode

Just some encouragement I would like to share, bare with me and I am going to start at the very grim beginning!! I am not wanting anyone feeling sorry for me, I am simply wanting to show where God brought me from. Time flies believe it or not, I can remember summer breaks while in elementary school and even middle school where the days seemed to drag on and on. It was so hot and of course we thought we had nothing to do!! Now I am 31 and have three babies of my own. If you had ask me 3 years ago if I thought I was going to make it with my sanity intact I probably would have said no! The twins were one and the baby brand new. Baiscally the last four years are a total blur except for main events like birthday and Christmas, anything else there is not much chance I could remember. My Spiritual life was experiencing near starvation and I could see no light at the end of the tunnel. I was sure God and Jesus had forgotten where I was, not becuase of them but because I had no strength left to even visit with Them, or so I thought. I would have melt downs about once a week and Chad would just reassure me that things would get better and it wasn't always going to be like this. He was such a stable force most of the time just holding me up becuase I couldn't do it myself. I also struggled terribly with post partum depression, some days just breathing hurt and took more than I thought I could do much less take care of three children who were totally dependent upon me. Other than my mother and mother in law I was totally by myself. They did a wonderful job when they could, mom worked and my mother in law is a pastor's wife which meant a lot of traveling. Don't get me wrong they helped out an enormous amount, if it had not been for them I would not have made it and would have probably suffered a nervous break down. Some days I could barely breathe, trying to find a light at the end of the tunnel was impossible. I drifted further from God and further from family and friends. I dreaded having to talk to anyone. I look back now and can see where the devil took advantage of my situation. Had I have known what was going on, suffering from depression and not allowing the Lord to carry me, I see the mistakes I made. Dont get me wrong, even if I had maintained my relationship with the Lord I know it still would have been a heavy load, just not as heavy. Now let's fast forward a few years as I sit here at my computer I want to be able to help anyone that I can. The Lord allowed me to go through the last four years and I am not going to keep it to myself, I went through it, I survived and I am stronger today because of it. I am a MOM!! I missed so much of the girls early growing up because I did not know what I should be doing or could be doing that would make life so much easier. Everyday was just the same do whatever it takes to survive until they go to bed. That is no way to live but I didn't know any other way to live! The fact is unless you have multiple children at one time no one can understand what you are going through. And then I went and got pregnant when they were six months old!! Which turned out to be the best blessing of my life, as all my children are. A year or so ago I started pleading with the Lord to please help me, I would do anything if I could just stop living like that. So of course my loving Saviour looked down on me and began to work in my clay, I had finally reached the bottom and knew I couldn't do it myself. I had been trying to raise my children by myself. When you finally fall on the rock or the rock falls on you and you realize that you need Him, He will meet you. I do regret that I have missed out on the last few years but I know the Lord is good and I can enjoy the rest of the years. So my encouragment to any mom would be that you can do it, it's going to be hard and you are going to be totally exhausted most of the time but let the Lord help you and keep you!! I praise the Lord for His wonderful mercy and strength.Now my goal is to make the best of the years I have left with my girls, they grow up and leave way to fast! As Sis Peach says "Jesus will help you....If you let Him"

Emma's Funny Sayings

Monkey says some of the funniest things and what makes them so funny is most of the time she is talking in a monotone voice!! I was getting on to all three of them last night for not going to bed and having to get on to them so much about going to sleep.... So I said "Girls this is ridiculous that you will not go to sleep." Monkey says "Mom this is not dickerlous" she pauses, deep sigh and then says to herself "urrggghhh I am not even saying it right".... I had to exit the room so I could laugh.
Before that we had gone to Whataburger, much to my dismay, after church. We were sitting in a booth and I was trying to explain to the girls how they should sit properly in a skirt since they are "little ladies." Monkey without even looking at me says "Mom no we are not"!!! I could go on and on about all the funny things she says, I wish I could wear a recorder to catch them all throughout the day!!

Trying to catch up!!

I am trying to catch up on everything that have let go while taking care of my sick children! Monkey came down with a virus about ten days ago and it really hit her hard. The other two did get sick but it only lasted a day or two for them... But we are on the mend and getting back to a normal routine just in time to go out of town!! LOL Having a routine while traveling is not exactly easy, maybe even pointless!! I am just thankful we are going to be able to attend Paige's graduation and head on up to the campground, which is always a blessing to say the least. I have been off the computer for basically two weeks and really miss communicating with all my friends and family. I did just want to put this up and will organize some pictures and get them on here too from the past couple of weeks.

To My Three Dearest Girls

To my three most beautiful baby girls I love you so much !! Days like today and most of them I might add are days that I am so thankful to me your mother! You are growing so fast and I wish I could just slow it down. Knowing that is not possible I am trying to make the most out of every day, every hour and every minute that I have to spend with you. I feel the Lord is helping me so much with learning to be a mom and guiding me to the right people to learn from! My hope and desire for each of you is that you will serve the Lord with your whole heart and use the talents that He has given you! Each of your are so special to me and I know you are special to Him. God allowed me to have each one of you and I in turn dedicated you and gave you back to Him. And even though now sometimes you fight most of the time you all play together so well, I know you will grow to be the best of friends! I love you so much and I am so proud to be your mother

Love Mom

Where the name came from

Since some are wondering where the name came from I thought I would share it with you. Obviously I have twins and then a sister who happens to be the baby of our family. When people would stop us in the mall or where ever, I got stopped every time I left the house, they would ask are those triplets? My response was no these two are twins and she is the baby sister. After hearing it a thousand times they started answering for themselves and they say "No, twins and a Baby" And even though she is no longer a baby she is our baby and always will be, so we are "twins and a baby"

Introducing Baby Number 3 - Daddy's Girl

I have been recently told that you should not put your children's names on the Internet with their pictures so I will be removing their names and from now on they will be referred to as 1, 2 and 3!! How sad is it that we have to be so careful because of so many predators... Anyway this is about number 3 not anything else!! I like to describe her as the joy of Christmas morning wrapped with the energy and mischievousness of the Tasmanian Devil!! She was quite a surprise to us as the twins were only six months old when I found out I was expecting! I can remember telling my doctor that I felt like I was carrying a miniature horse and it wouldn't stop moving. He assured me she was going to be relatively small.....I knew he really didn't know what he was talking about with this, I was the one providing her a home I knew she was not small!! So the day came for us to meet her and she was absolutely beautiful and weighed almost 9lbs!! She was so mad when she was born I can still remember thinking wow she really has a temper!! Little did I know then how right I was!! I should actually refer to her as daddy's girls, she had him wrapped from the beginning, there was such a connection between the two of them, she loves her daddy so very much. With her we are never really sure what to expect, I have just learned to roll with it! The other day we were at the mall with my mother in law eating lunch. There was a table behind us with two ladies and their two babies. The tables were very close together, the lady's chair and my mother in laws were almost touching and number three is sitting on the corner next to her - they were back back in case you can't get the picture!! I am watching from the other side of the table. The lady picks up her baby and he is looking over her shoulder at number three just smiling. All the sudden number three says "mom" and I can tell by the tone in her voice she is getting ready to embarrass me so I try to ignore her and carry on eating, which did not work..."mom... louder MOM that baby has a really big head mom...Mom why is his head so big?" So I am still trying to ignore her and change the subject but she repeated herself at least three times. If I could have fit under the table I would have crawled under!! I felt so bad, he did have a really big head but I wasn't about to tell the adoring mother!! This is just an example of what she is usually up to! She climbs everything, swings from everything and has no fear. When not pitching a fit she is pure sunshine ☻ as only a mother can say, right? I do believe that she was the missing piece to our family puzzle and I feel so blessed to be her mother. She is just exactly what a child should be and deserves to be, innocent and totally unaware that the world is not a safe place. She is so very loving most of the time and a great playmate for her sisters! She has a wonderful way of making you smile and laugh... especially when she is in trouble!! She is brutally honest so be careful what you ask her..I had said before she could be a future politician... "Number Three why is there water on the floor" Her response " I dunno"(I don't know) "Number three why are you hands wet?" "I dunno" Why is your sister's nose bleeding? "Mom I dunno".. You get the point but on the other hand she is so honest she wouldn't make it as a politician which I am thankful for... Number three did you punch your sister in the face?" "yes" why did you? "I DUNNO" She loves to sing and plays her recorder with me in the band at church! Her dad even lets her play the drums which is her favorite!! I had to include a picture of her pitching a fit! She is the only one of my three that do that and I never thought I would have a child that would!! Little did I know ☻I have heard the saying that children and grandchildren fill the gaps between the generations in a family and I do believe that. She is proof of that, with such a bubbly personality and a beautiful smile! She is my baby girl

The best Mother's Day present of all

Sunday was Mother's Day as you all know. Since it was Sunday we spent our day just like we do every other Sunday, going to church all day, which I love by the way. That night Emma and Abby were in the front of the house playing so I went to look for Anna and she was in her room ready for bed. So I laid down by her and we just talked about the day and what all they learned in Sunday school. As we were laying there Anna looked at me and said "Mom you are my best friend." And so now you know the best Mother's Day present of all!!!! That makes everything worth it!

Yestereday Anna and Emma were having church and I walked in while Anna was testifying!! This is her testimony " Lord help my mind I know you can. Lord go with me, I know you will take good care of me. I am happy to be here tonight" You can tell she listens to everyone's testimonies at church! I thought it was a great tesitmony myself!! Emma began by reading her Bible "Mary went to Bethlehem in Kentucky and she was there a while and had a baby." The girls love going to the campground so when they talk of going anywhere it's to the campground.

Home Schooling

The girls are doing so great in their school work, I am so proud of them!! Anna is really doing well in her handwriting, once she sees a letter she can write it without me even showing her! Emma is doing well on her coloring which is quite an accomplishment for her!! And Abby is doing so good that sometimes I forget she is a year behind them. She can name her vowels and tell you what they say!! Can you tell I am proud of them! We start every school morning off saying the Pledge of Allegiance, I really need to record this it is so cute!! Today at school my other mother, MaBeck, was kind enough to come help us do our very first lap books!! Thanks to Aunt Becky giving us this great idea! Their lap books are on the 5 vowels that they are learning so it went really well with school plus it is such an inexpensive way to add fun into the school work. It is time consuming so I was very grateful she came otherwise to have done three would have been quite a challenge! I am hoping to start our table training today, kind of like blanket training. Quiet time is something that my girls have not quite gotten the hang of ☻ Girls by nature are very talkative just imagine THREE little ones all talking at the same time! It gets a little overwhelming when they all decide to sing a different song at the top of their lungs at the same time!! I just have to sit back and laugh. When we go to bed my ears are usually hurting!! But it is funny.

Routine

I will just be plain honest with you.................. Keeping a routine is sheer exhaustion on a mother!! I know it is for their benefit and they do better when structure is in place but I am exhausted ☻ And another thing being consistent is enough to make you go crazy!! If you can tell I am venting a little bit but some of you have been asking me how it is going so I don't want to sugar coat it!! We have only left the house this week for: church twice, groceries and two errands. I have to say I am enjoying that. Once you leave the house you are spending money no matter what you do....gas...... Which since I drive the Titanic I have to watch where I go and how often. But I am keeping my head up, I have seen a small tiny improvement in Abby's behavior so there is light at the end of the tunnel. We have been enjoying our new backyard and picnic table, I have included some pictures of the girls eating their watermelon, which they absolutely love. After we finished eating watermelon we went to the Big Church to help clean, which the girls did a wonderful job helping! Which was comical because after they cleaned their window they pressed their faces against it to look at everyone on the inside! Although Emma was actually looking at herself, very closely!!The highlight of their evening after cleaning was getting to talk Bro. Brown!

Introducing Emma Victoria

I would like to introduce you to my Emma Victoria, she is my middle child even though she is a twin! I will tell you if you are ever down and out or sad and need some lifting up this is the person to see!!! Emma is very funny and always smiling, she wakes up smiling and goes to bed smiling! She looks, acts and thinks like her father, she is a far left brainer! Most people consider Emma to be very serious because she normally is making a serious face but she is actually just studying people and taking it all in! And she normally has the right take on people! Very sensitive to the Lord, always singing the songs from church, prays for everyone she can think of that's my Emma!! She loves going to church and will have a prayer meeting by herself anywhere. A lot of times it's at the grocery store!! She also loves Bro. Brown :) A lot of times Emma speaks in a monotone voice which adds an even more comical effect to whatever she is doing! Emma is probably the most sensitive of my children, very loving and always giving hugs and kisses. Her main love language is touch even when she has just woke up in the morning but has not brushed her teeth!!! Emma also has a laugh that is so very contagious!! Always asking questions she is my "why mom?" child! She is also my patience tester, we all need one right? I can remember one day we were trying to get out the door for an appointment and everyone else had gotten dressed except for Emma, she did not have her socks and shoes on. So i walked over handed her the socks/shoes and told her to put her socks on. I got busy doing some little things around the house and about 30 minutes later I remembered to check on her. So I called out to her "Emma did you get your socks on?" " Yes, mom look I have them on... " She lifts up her arms to show me she had put them on..... her hands. So I took a deep breath and tried to calmly say"Emma please put your socks on your feet" Her reply "Oh not my hands?" Whatever Emma is thinking goes straight to her mouth, she has yet to develop a sensor!! One time we were in Toys R Us and they all three had to go to the restroom. As we get to the restroom there is quite a line formed. As we are waiting in line, it's quiet mind you, a lady comes out of the stall. She has long hair that is very curly and it is dyed a bright orange color. As soon as I saw the lady I tried to stand in front of Emma and divert her attention....it did not work. "Hey Mom" I try to ignore her "HEY MOM" "yes Emma" "Mom look at that lady's CRAZY hair" Of course you know she is not whispering. I try to change the conversation but she just keep repeating herself. The lady, thank the Lord she was a mother, turned and smiled and walked out!! I could go on and on about all the embarrassing situations she has gotten me into!! She is constantly speaking loudly when someone is not dressed like she is use to seeing, "Mom why is that person naked?" "Mom they need to go get some clothes on" Anyway you get the point, there is never a dull moment around Emma. She is the sunshine that brightens our home!! I will share this last thing with you that happened today while we were at the grocery store.. I am pushing the cart and she walks in front of me and I accidentally ran into her so I said Emma watch where you walk, her reply "Mom watch where you drive that thing!!"

Routine and Scheduling

Come Monday we are starting our daily schedule and routine!! I am very excited and yet nervous at the same time. The Lord has been dealing with me a lot about the importance of being consistent in EVERYTHING from praising Him, going to church, living a Godly life all the time and raising my children. So after seeking the advice of a mom friend whose name is Denise I can see more plainly the need of having a scheduled life.. I tried it a few days this week and it worked wonderfully the girls new what we would be doing and when we would be doing it. I did slack off a bit but days with great grandmothers deserve no schedules!! I am also going to cut out our "away from home" days too, how can I train/raise them if I am not giving them my all? Some of you may not understand this but it works for my family and well that's all I have to say!! So pray for me if you think about it, I am excited to get started!! I know this might not be for everyone but I felt the Lord deal with me in this area when I was begging for help from Him. I read a quote and the lady was basically saying going and doing does should not take the place of actual quality time... They will not remember what all they did but they will remember if they felt secure in a stable consistent family! Good night everyone ☻

Working in the back yard!!

Today we worked in the backyard finishing our fence, adding gravel to the girls swingset and just had fun!! It was a group effort and we really appreciate everyone that came to help!! Thank you Uncle Rusty, Pap, MaBeck/Papa and of course Carlos and Rafael!! Now that the girls are getting older we are spending more and more time outside, thank the Lord!! And now with a fence up we can spend our days in the backyard and play!! I am so excited I can hardly stand it!! I loved the pictures that I took today of the girls helping Pap and Uncle Rusty with their sandbox shobels (shovels) as they say! They are always wanting to help and that makes me so happy.Even though it is going to be hotter in a few months its nice to be able to just let the girls out in the backyard to play and not go anywhere! Yes I will be with them outside jsut in case you were wonderging ☻ These kind of days even though it was hard work are the days that make families closer, helping one another is a blessing!

My husband

Chad told me that if I started writing about him he would read my blog more so I am going to write about him and we will see if he even notices!! Chad and I have been married for 8 years now.... He is a great husband, a far left brainer which can be quite trying at times since I am more in the middle of the two. He is a great father and friend. I am so glad the Lord put us together, I love him very much and appreciate the life he lives.... Now this blog is about my kids so that is all I will tell you for now :)

A wonderful day with family and friends!!

Becky was so nice to invite us all over for a wonderful day of playing and talking! The kids had so much fun and on the way home Emma said "Mom, it sure was nice of Aunt Becky to have us over!" We are all a little lobster looking and very wore out but it was so worth it! You learn a lot when you get together with moms that have a lot of the same views as you and have multiple children, no offense to those with only one child. You also get to learn a lot about each other which makes you closer! "You are my brother and you are my sister and I need you" just felt like singing that song!! It is also nice to be able to let the children play together and form bonds since they will all be in the youth together..... scary thought!!

Thanks again Aunt Becky for all the fun and the fish bowl!! I am searching for fake fish on the internet now!!