A friend came to visit...

Yesterday, Landon was jumping on the trampoline and came in to tell me there was something under the trampoline.  He said it was a turtle.  I didn't even know he knew what a turtle was, lol!  We put the turtle in a box and kept him around for about an hour.  Then, Landon said he wanted to let him go find his momma.  It was so sweet.  The next hour we spent watching where he went.  It was fun! 

Landon said Mr. Turtle was thirsty and needed some milk..ha

Just some random pictures/videos of the babies.  They have really enjoyed spending time outside lately.

Landon has been very creative in his thinking lately.  This is how he got his cup!

And this is how he went potty outside...oh my!  But, it was hilarious!!

A week of "firsts"

Let me just start off by saying how blessed we are to have these three healthy children, and that God would even consider Jacy and myself to be their parents, is an honor!  We love them more than life itself and I couldn't imagine my life any other way.  I challenge myself each day to not take my life for granted in any way, and to just realize that each breath we take is such a blessing and a gift from God, because we never, ever know when we will take the last one.

This week was a week of firsts for Grady and Reese.  Reese has been laughing for some time now, but Grady started laughing this week.  I am so in love with his laugh!  Grady rolled over for the first time this week and Reese followed behind him rolling over today!  Grady loves making it to his tummy and Reese gets very upset once she has made it to hers.  I am hoping to get a video to share of it.  

Landon got a new trampoline this weekend and is absolutely in love!  It is SO cute.  He even jumps on it all by himself.  We love it, because it gives him something to do on his own that he doesn't need "mommy" and "daddy" to do with him, although we have had fun on it ourselves!!  Reese likes to stand up on it, of course me holding her, and Landon bounces her.  It is so cute!  Below are just some random pics I have taken and wanted to share.  We love you all dearly and hope you have a blessed week!

 

Dear Lord,

As I've laid in bed the last couple of nights, I have gone to God with many prayer requests.  I have had a lot on my mind and a lot of questions for God.  I don't understand this world.  It is so evil sometimes and can just gobble people up in it.  We have been praying for yet another couple that is our friends that God will just work in their lives.  I just don't understand sometimes the decisions people make.  I just don't get it!  I have also recently read a story about a sweet baby and the decisions a family is being faced with before their baby is even born.  Father, I just lift this family up.  I pray that you will be with them day and night every step of the way.  I pray that you will give them strength and wisdom and Lord, that you this precious baby will be a walking miracle to the world!  I have never walked in the shoes what they are going through, but I feel like I can relate in some sense that I was in the hospital with both of my pregnancies and could have possibly delivered way too early.  I know that "fear" and uncertain feeling.  It is so not a good feeling.  Please keep this family in your prayers!  Father you are so mighty, and more than anything be with this amazing family!  Let your light shine!

On a happy note, my 11 year younger brother, Wayne, is a senior this year.  We went to his last home basketball game the other day.  I have a few pics below from it.  They will have their third playoff game this Saturday.  I am SO so proud to call Wayne my brother.  He is such an amazing kid, who Loves the Lord in all he does!  I love you Wayne!

Random thoughts

I have a lot in my head I want to get out and write on the blog before I forget, so this is going to be one random post!  Reese and Grady had their 4 month check up a few weeks ago, and everything was pretty good.  Reese weighed 10lbs. 5.5oz. and Grady weighed 11lbs. 2oz.  They hadn't gained even half a pound over about 5 weeks, so the doctor put both babies on Prevacid to help keep their milk down.  I think it is doing the trick for the most part.

Grady recently had a PT come out to the house, through a program called ECI, to evaluate him to see if he needed a little assistance to help "close the gap" of being a premature baby.  He did qualify, but I actually declined services.  He is showing so much growth each day, and as his mom, I don't feel there is something he needs help with.  The PT told me herself, yes he is behind, but she saw no red flags.  It will just take time for him to "catch up".  I am totally at peace with this.

Reese is trucking along.  I can't walk by her now without her telling me to pick her up...lol  Her and Grady notice each other when they are laying on the floor together, and seriously y'all, they talk back and forth.  I guess there IS such thing as twin talk.  It is the cutest thing ever!!

Neither Grady or Reese is rolling over or sitting up yet, but they are trying so hard.  Grady can roll to his side, and scoot himself just about anywhere, but Reese just turns herself in circles.

Landon is doing awesome!  He is keeping us VERY busy!  He still loves his school and yesterday started clapping when I dropped him out.  I thought to myself, geez, is being at home with us really that bad..haha  He is such a big help!

Below are a few pictures from Valentine's day and a couple random ones.  

PS. I got my braces off!!!!!

SO adorable!

MeMaw taught me how to FISH!

"Peace Out" as Katie says it!

Attempting to take a picture

Realizing a picture isn't going to happen!

I LOVE this picture!

Our friend Libby came to visit!

I know...sad, sad, but it works! ha

practicing how to sit up

Matagordaville

Okay, so I have tears in my eyes from laughing so hard at this video.  Out of nowhere Landon just busts out singing.  I mean, it is like we put the video camera on him, and he built himself a stage..ha (make sure to pause the music on my blog at the bottom so you can hear the video)

free entertainment!

This was our family fun tonight from beginning to end...lol

Take 1

Take 2

Take 3

Take 4

I just have to post this...it speaks for itself

Okay, so just look at this picture. Between two families, this is all our children. Oh yeah, and we live next door to each other!! Needless to say, our neighbors probably talk about us :o)

My quiet time today

Okay, so my quiet time today hit home for me.  I wanted to share it, because I just love how it spoke to me!

Come to me with a thankful heart, so that you can enjoy My Presence.  This is the day that I have made.  I want you to rejoice today, refusing to worry about tomorrow.  Search for all that I have prepared for you, anticipating abundant blessings and accepting difficulties as they come.  I can weave miracles into the most mundane day if you keep your focus on Me.

Come to Me with all your needs, knowing that My glorious riches are a more-than-adequate supply.  Stay in continual communication with Me, so that you can live above your circumstances even while you are in the midst of them.  Present your requests to Me with thanksgiving, and My Peace, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your heart and mind.

                                                         Psalm 118:24; Philippians 4:19, 6-7

Today was a nice, calm day!!

Like my friend Courtney says it, "Wordless Wednesday"

Well, that is what my day was like yesterday.  I took Landon, Reese and Grady in to the doctor for the usual runny, snotty nose and cough.  Grady had also started running a fever.  Grady weighed 10.8 and Reese weighed 9.11.  They are getting so big!  Reese and Landon had sinus infections and the doctor thought Grady had RSV, so he swobbed his nose and then sent us over to have an x-ray on his chest to make sure he didn't have pneumonia.  Well, at this point my mom had to leave and so me, and the 3 kids headed over to Tomball Hospital for the x-ray.  I walk in and it was like an ER waiting room.  There were people everywhere.  I was thinking oh my gosh...how in the world am I going to wait here with 3 kids and 2 that are about to want their bottle and one who hasn't had lunch...AND it is now noon.  Well of course both the babies started crying and I look over and Landon has now stripped off his socks and shoes and thrown them in the floor.  I took a deep breath and said to myself...okay Melissa, I can either freak out right now, or I can not care what people in here are thinking of me and deal with the situation.   I took the "I don't care" route.  I couldn't help but start laughing.  And let me tell you, ALL eyes were on me.  I tried to calm the babies and then I got in Landon's face and very calmly told him to put his socks and shoes back on or else...hahaha

So, in the end of all this, my dad finally got to the hospital and was able to help.  Grady's RSV test came back negative and his x-ray was normal...few!  But, there is more to the story.  While we were at the doctor, he told me that he was concerned with Grady.  Grady prefers to turn his neck to the left most of the time, and has somewhat of a difficult time focusing.  He also arches his back and doesn't like for you to sit him up.  We will be taking him to see an optomologist and neurologist later this month and are having a physical therapist come out to our house to evaluate him.  Deep down I feel he is probably okay, but is just maturing slower than Reese.  He was also stuck in a really weird postition in utero because Reese was on top of him, poor guy.  As a doctor, they probably want to cover all basis, just to make sure, but of course now all this is in my head and I'm freaking out.  Seriously, I couldn't have any more on my plate.  This cannot happen.  Grady has to be okay.  I will not be able to handle news other than he seems normal.  I mean, for the moment I am feeling sorry for myself.  NOTHING having to do with pregnancy and babies seems to be going smoothly.  I just don't get it!!  I know things could be worse, but geez.  Please just keep him in your prayers!  I will keep you posted once we see the specialist.  

A "glimpse" of my life

I know this might seem mean that I filmed them crying, but it was laugh at the situation or jump off the nearest bridge!

End of year 2011...

WOW, what a year we had looking back on it.  It is absolutely amazing when you look back at how much can happen in just one year of your life.  Time is just flying by here on earth.  I heard it in a bible study once perfectly, we are literally just passing through life and are here for a glimpse of time.  If this is just a glimpse of time here on earth, I can't wait to see what Heaven is like!!  Things that have happened in 2011 for us:

1) We sold our first home we built together and moved into our second.
2) lived with Jacy's granny for 6 months
3) received news we were expecting twins
4) Landon turned 2
3) I resigned from being a teacher to stay home with my 3 amazing children
4)  the babies were dedicated at church
5)  "lived" in a hospital bed  for 4 weeks...(boy am I glad that's over)
6) Reese and Grady were in the NICU for 14 days
7) Landon started mother's day out

I'm sure there is more, but I can't think of it right now.  I am so thankful for another year here with my family, but am excited what 2012 will bring.  I am very overwhelmed some days with 3 month old twins and a 2 1/2 year old.  It is a lot to take in, and still sometimes is not real that this is my life.  Do I question God why me sometimes why this is what he had in mind for me?  Well, yes, honestly sometimes I do, but at the end of the day I tell myself to put on my big girl panties and DEAL with it!!!  Truly, what gets me through my difficult days, is just reminding myself everything I do should be to glorify my God!

I am really having to push through this time in my life.  I want to enjoy Reese and Grady as babies, but there are TWO people...TWO!!  It is more like a job you have to be really good at managing.  Get up, feed the babies, Landon needs breakfast, feed the babies, Landon needs lunch and nap, feed the babies, Landon needs a snack, feed the babies, dinner, baths, and it goes on and on.  I continue to pray God will give me the patience and love to poor out onto my children and husband and continue to strive to be an excellent wife.  It's not always easy, but thank goodness the Lord is there to listen to my cries for help!  I seriously could not get through some days, much less, some hours without Him..and a glass or two of wine some nights...seriously!   I think 2012 will be a fun year for us.  The babies will be a little older, Landon will be a little more independent, and I'm ready to get the party started :o)    

Tis the season

We made a trip to see Santa last week and thought mabye, just maybe we could convince Landon to sit on Santa's lap....boy were we wrong!!  He clenched onto me so hard, I didn't even know he had that many muscles..HA So, we decided to let Reese and Grady give it a shot.  They did just fine.  The funny thing is, we were told it was for liability reasons that Santa couldn't hold both babies at one time just in case he dropped one...haha  Sorry, but I found that very humorous for some reason.  And after the fact, I thought to myself...wow Melissa, how smart was that to let Santa hold your newborn babies after the other 100 kids he let sit in his lap that day.  I guess you live and you learn, right.

  Waiting in line to get their pics taken.

I just love this Santa!  He is so adorable. 

                   I just love this kid!!       Landon loves holding the babies.

My first Gingerbread house!

Didn't I do a good job?!!