Easter Weekend Pictures

On Easter Sunday, Alyna wore her foofiest, prettiest dress... bought by Nana Love a while back. She wasn't too sure about all the lacy layers at first, but seemed fine after about 10 minutes in it.

Grandma (my mom) was here for that week...





Here are some other cute pictures from Grandma's visit...

It's A Girl!

I'm now 20 weeks pregnant with a baby girl!!!

We've always said that we didn't care which gender this baby was, but that since Alyna is so social and always wants someone to play with her, it would be nice for her to have a sister.

And she already plays peek-a-boo just like Alyna...




We don't have a girl name picked yet, but we have a short list... so we'll figure that out soon. Everything is going well so far, and we just pray continued blessings for our baby girl.

Grandma's visit

Grandma (my mom) arrived last night. The twins watched the movie "Cars" on the van's DVD player, and it was on the credits just as I pulled into the airport parking lot. It actually wasn't a bad soundtrack to drive to, though I do look forward to the day when they can use the headphones with it. After we found Grandma, we ate dinner and did some shopping before heading home just after their normal bed time. They slept the whole way home and the transition to the cribs was easy once we were home.

They were tired and fussy this morning... I think they though Mommy was leaving because Grandma was here. We've had fun playing and taking a walk. Grandma is busy at the sewing machine making some denim and kahki play pants and shorts. Ryan's waist is so small it's hard to find pants that fit him.

We've got a busy week ahead, and are really glad she's here.

spring is fun

I love the spring temperatures here, but could do without the wind. There are many days where the wind is almost constantly at 15 mph with gusts of 30 mph. The cinder block fence in our backyard actually provides a pretty good wind break, but you just can't avoid the huge gusts. If you go out in town or to a park, there is no windbreak and you are at the mercy of the dust in the air.

As always though, God has set His world in motion for the good of His creation. There are pockets of oil and vapors around here that would create poisonous zones were it not for the strong winds circulating the air. The winds also blow the storms through rather quickly. If it rains one day, you can count on nicer weather the next.

The twins love to play outside when the wind isn't so bad. We usually spend 3-4 hours outside a day: before lunch, after lunch, and again after nap time. As the weather warms and the days lengthen, the after lunch playtime will probably be inside, but we will go outside again after dinner in the evening. Evenings in the summer here are wonderful.



Alyna is talking more and more, and starting to sing too. She has mastered the skill of jumping, and can actually get both feet about an inch off the ground. I think that's quite amazing for an 18 month old.



Ryan is constantly shocking people with his climbing skills. He climbs in and out of the stroller and his crib when the drop side is down. He climbs up in chairs and all over tables (until someone makes him stop).

Our new fun activity is coloring. We bought some triangle crayons and printed some train pictures off the internet, and they (and Mommy) marked on the paper for about 20 minutes. Ryan actually impressed us by not eating the crayons or the paper. Then they played with the crayons for another 20 minutes putting them in and taking them out of a ziploc bag.

Grandma (my mom) is coming to visit on Thursday, and we can't wait. We've got lots of things planned for while she's here.

Mine for a Moment

A friend of mine from high school, Kelly, is now a professional artist, and I love her work. She mostly does portraits.

She has a ministry going through one of her paintings, and I thought I should share the work with all who read this. Her goal is simply to give some encouragement and love to people who have lost a child. You need only to look at the picture to know that she was inspired on the day she painted it.

If you know someone who has lost a child, you can request a print from her. She asks for donations to cover the supplies and shipping costs, but will send it through the ministry's fund if a donation is not possible. She also takes donations above the shipping costs so that she can give out prints without charge to those in need.

Please visit the site. The picture is at the very top of the page, and the story behind the picture is there for your own inspiration.

Here's the link: Mine For a Moment

Mom blogs

I thought I would post a few links to "Mom" blogs I've started reading later. These are blogs by women I don't know, and they're all about being Moms. I have other blogs linked on the right hand side of this blog page that are blogs of friends and family about their own lives... these "Mom" blogs are different.

Check them out if you think you could use tips on parenting, raising a family on a budget, cleaning, family dynamics, etc.

And if you know of another good "Mom" blog, please leave it's link in a comment, and I'll be sure to check it out.

The Confident Mom - A Mom of 3 children... she's offers her services as a Mom coach, and I love her blogs, tips, and links.

Whole Living Gal - found this one through a guest post on "The Confident Mom"... has had great tips lately on natural cleaning products. She currently has a guest post on "Eating Healthy on a Budget" at the next link listed.

The Diaper Diaries - just started reading this one because of "Whole Living Gal's" Post...

Hearts at Home - has short blog posts and articles written by different moms on different subjects weekly and monthly. I've loved their insights. Right now there is a series on "Living with Less" that has been good.

Money Saving Mom - I just found this through a friend yesterday, but it looks promising.

Life As Mom - mostly recipes and tips for family meals and cooking

The Senses

On an episode of the twins new favorite show, "Chuggington", Koko's headlight burns out while driving at night. She has to use her sense of smell, hearing, and touch to find her way to the right place. I thought it was a very cute lesson about our senses.

While sitting outside the other day, I started thinking more about the story because I was smelling the spring freshness in the air. I could feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, and hear the birds singing their beautiful song. I saw two squirrels chasing each other up and down a tree, and heard our dog Henrey bark as he tracked their scent along the ground. I saw a big smile on my daughter's face as she slid down the slide, and heard her brother's "vroom" as he pushed his dump truck along the ground.

God gave us so many ways to experience this world. How wonderfully creative our Father must be that he not only gave flowers beautiful colors, but also wonderful smells. Not only can we feel the coolness of a babbling brook on our bare feet, but we can hear it trickling along.

When you use all of your senses to enjoy the world, you can truly experience the fullness of his creation.