Friends with Twins

In this picture I am 30 weeks pregnant with twins and Stacy is 15 weeks pregnant with twins. We are so happy for Terry and Stacy to be pregnant as they have waited such a long time. It's great that they are having twins also, so we can experience this great miracle together and understand each others trials as they come along. George and I are getting close to the finish line and the Doctor's all say everything is going great. I am less than 6 weeks away from a full term twin pregnancy and the average is 35.2 weeks. We are getting excited to see and hold our little ones but nervous also of what lies ahead of us. We hope that all of you are praying for us and the babies and will come see our sweet peas when they arrive.

New Year's Eve and Labor scare

New Year's eve was spent in good company at Terri and Butch's house along with several other friends for a night of food, fun, and games. The kids all seemed to have a good time and the adults played a board game called "Things" and a card game called "Mafia." Terri and Butch's new baby boy, Samuel Parker, is a dream. He slept through all the loud noises and bright lights and Terri had to wake him up for all his feedings. George and I are praying that at least one of our babies will be that carefree. After we left and arrived home, I thought my water broke due to a surge of fluid. George and I calmly packed a bag and waited to see if contractions would start or if I had anymore leaking. Apparently the babies must of kicked or moved into a position to empty my bladder all at once. George and I were glad that it was a false alarm but it put us on alert to get our act together and finish any items that we wanted to get done before the grand arrival. Happy New Year!!!

Ava and her New Grocery Cart

Ava and her Cinderella outfit

Christmas Eve 2009

Christmas Eve is when we get together with Ashley and have a big meal, open presents, and either play games or watch a movie. This year was so much fun because of all the excitement that Ava had for her big sister and all the presents. Ava has developed a special bond with her older sister and thinks that she is the best! It was so great to have our family together and enjoy some of the funny, sweet, and magical moments that Christmas time brings out in everyone. After the blur of unwrapped presents and Ava wearing herself out, we watched the movie "Up." It is suppose to be for children, but I think it has a more appealing story line for adults. There are even a few moments in the movie that make you choked back the tears. Our Christmas eve was nothing short of wonderful!

Christmas with George's Dad

This year we planned on staying home for Christmas Day so we invited George's parents over for dinner beforehand for some quality time and to watch Ava open her presents. George and I slow cooked some ribs during the day according to the recipe we got from Randy Kalman and they turned out to be the best ribs we have ever made or ate before. Three hours in the oven, three hours on the grill and one hour in the crock pot. WOW! they were delicious. George's Mom ended up staying home, but we still had his Dad over and enjoyed his company and his conversation. Ava loved opening up her presents and couldn't decide what to play with first. She also enjoyed seeing her Grandpa and sitting on his lap. A good night for all of us!

A Special Visit!

This Christmas season I was able to spend the day with my Mom who is in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's and with my sister Jan who jumped through the necessary family hoops to get my Mom to our house. We had made one of her favorite meals (ham and beans with cornbread and apple salad) and she was delightfully savoring every bite. My Mom was in good spirits and seemed to be aware and coherent of the conversations and who we were. She Loved Ava and of course Ava loved the attention. It was a special gift and day for me to see my Mother and to share some new memories that have become so rare.

Adopt a Family Plan

This was our fourth year to adopt a single mom and her family for Christmas. We were able to meet with her on a Saturday to go shopping with her for her four children. We were able to get almost everything on their "needs" list and also to get one fun present for each of them. We also wanted to get something for the Mother but she insisted that all she needed was a new furnace filter and a humidifier for their home. Once again, George and I realized how silly some of the things we say that we "need" when it's really just a materialistic "want." Seeing the needs of others reminds us to be grateful and giving and generous of spirit not just at Christmas time but that we must develop our character to remain humble and always acknowledge our daily blessings. I hope all of us can understand the "soul" benefits of giving to others and take action when opportunities arise.

Holiday Celebration and gathering for Larry

We had a few friends over the week before Christmas to celebrate the season of our saviours birth, rejoice in our wonderful friendships, and to acknowledge how grateful we all were to have Larry with us, working his way to a full recovery. We all wanted to say so much to Larry but somehow the full extent of our words seemed flat compared to the emotion and love behind them. Conversation and laughter were abundant and it was a very special night to remember. Two of us are pregnant with twins in the above picture! Next year's picture will probably be blurred from us chasing after four little babies, plus Lily and Ava. (Ava was asleep when we took this photo)

Visit from Indy

Mid December we were fortunate to be able to spend a weekend at our house with Brooke, Corey, and Malin. We always enjoy seeing them and because our girls are so close in age, it is so fun to see them play together and see how much they have grown and changed since our last visit. Friday was devoted to family time with the girls and taking time to catch up with each other's busy lives. Saturday we ate at Uptown Kitchen for breakfast and did a little shopping before nap time (Malin, Ava, and Me). I still require a afternoon nap to be able to function past five o'clock. Saturday night we were able to get a sitter and spend some much needed adult time at Noma for dinner. Sunday we said our good-bye's and probably the next visit, we will have two more babies in our arms. We missed alot of good photo ops over the weekend but getting the camera seemed like we'd miss the moment.