Life As We Know It: January 2009

A Daily Occurrence

I don't know if this is normal or if my girls are especially prissy, but hardly does a day pass without "dress-up". Brooke's new favorite words are, "the pincesses!" (the princesses), "boofull" (beautiful), and "soos on" (shoes on!). Ginny usually gets in about one fashion show a day. Well, we should probably get used to it. I see a lot of dress up clothes in our future!

Brooke has started wearing panties over her diaper...silly girl!

Mica, she is still loving this crown you gave her!

Thanks Mom & Dad

A couple of weekends ago, my parents drove to visit us for the weekend. I have always kept a goal of seeing my parents once a month since they live about 5 hours away. Most of the time, it consisted of us driving to see them. Lately, they have been really great about coming to see us or meeting somewhere in the middle. The kids really LOVE spending time with Grandpa Hub & Grammy Co. So do I. This time we didn't have much planned, but had a great time anyway...and they ended up cleaning my house. Mom also took me clothes shopping. Nice bonus and thank you! We love you and can't wait to see you again soon!

Very Special Pictures

I was so thankful to find more pictures of Tom & Kristina and the kids from one of Kristina's close friends. It is completely obvious how much they both loved their children.

Smiles on the Carousel

Here are some pictures from our latest trip to Stonebriar's carousel. Gotta love the mall!

God Provides!

Something amazing happened yesterday! Shortly after David came home from work, he received a phone call asking if in fact he was the David who had three kids and twins on the way. David said yes he was, then the man instructed him to look in the driveway. Sitting there was this:

The man said "God Bless" and then hung up. A note in the front seat read as follows:

David, Kim, Austin, Ginny, and Brooke,

We are so happy to share in the good news of the coming twins. We know that this will present some new challenges for your family and would like to take one thing off your list. We know you'll soon have need for a vehicle that seats seven!

This van is yours now. It has been well maintained, complete with records, and should provide for your family for the next few years. The tires are brand new and we've had the van inspected by a mehanic...hopefully it won't give you any trouble anytime soon!

We deeply admire your love for the Lord and know that he has blessed you in many ways for your faith and reliance on Him. Thank you for being good examples for us all. We love you.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:6

Accompanying the note was a large amount of cash. We were completely shocked. Who would do this? We had to know.

We called the phone number provided for title details, and the person on the other line said that a group of people wanted to anonymously do this for us. Incredible.

If you are reading this and you are part of this gift in any way, THANK YOU!!! You may never know how much this means to us. We are completely amazed by your kindness. YOUR example is the one to be followed. God has provided for us again and again, never forsaking us, but still I am astonished by His grace.

The week leading up to yesterday had been especially hard. Our other car was in the shop, the kids were having a rough time with behavior, some court issues were hanging like a cloud over us, we just felt worn out, especially thinking about the financial implications of the two little ones to come. Less than 24 hours before we were given this gift, David and I asked God in prayer, How can we do this? We are overwhelmed. Please help us. Take away the worry and show us your will.

The very next day he answered our prayer. I am brought to tears by the ways we have been blessed over and over again. Today I woke up with a new attitude. I was a better mom. I was much less selfish in my prayers. And I can't help but read the verse on the note over and over again. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:6

Thank you God!

More pictures...

I had been doing some online browsing of used minivans. There was no way around it--we HAD to get a new car with 3rd row seating. This is totally what I would have picked out, color and everything! What a gift. The kids check out their new car:

Brooke called shotgun.

And Ginny, who obviously picked out her own clothes this day, loves her new car! The reason for the headphones? There is a DVD player included! Wow!

We are so thankful!

The Results Are In!

And we are having...

TWO GIRLS!!!

They are both exactly the same weight (8 oz) and exactly the same heart rate (153 bpm). They are healthy and right on track with normal development. Praise God!

David has the day off, so he is picking up Austin from school and taking him out for ice cream to break the news as gently as possible. Poor guys!

Cast Your Vote

Step right up and give your guess as to what the genders of the twins are! We have our big sonogram this coming Tuesday, so we will all know soon enough. It crossed my mind to wait to find out when they are born, but then we decided we've had enough surprises this year for a whole decade. I don't have a preference, but Austin is very adamant that they both need to be boys.

Our Family Is Growing Again! And Again!

That's right! We found out a while ago we were expecting again. What we weren't prepared for was finding out it was TWINS! No I am not kidding. That's what most people ask. We are very excited about welcoming two more blessings into our family.

Here is the proof if you don't believe me.

Baby A on the left, B on the right-I think. I was sort of in a state of shock when the doctor was explaining things to me.