Twinsie Tuesday: Double Blessings

 I am so thankful for these two amazing little boys!  They have brought so much joy into our family.  I love to watch them bounce through the house dragging blankies behind them.  I love to watch them interact with each other hugging and holding hands and sometimes rough housing and tumbling on the floor.  I love that just like the color of their hair they are so different.  Levi cuddly and talkative.  Liam full of action and curious about everything.  They keep our lives interesting and I am so grateful to be their mommy.  They really are our double blessings!

Thankful for Full Hands

If you're a parent of multiples or parent with multiple children  you most assuredly have heard this statement..."Oh!  You have your hands full!"  It's usually from perfect strangers passing by my cart full of children in the grocery store.  Normally I just respond with a smile and keep on going. But I was thinking about that statement yesterday.  Yes I do have my hands full right now...they're full with dirty diapers, potty training, sticky faces, lots of laundry, busy boys, homeschooling stuff,  managing a home and family, and much more.  But they're also full of lots of laughs,  sweet hugs, goofy smiles, and special memories that will last long after they've grown and started their own families.  Those things make it more than worth it!  We prayed for full hands and got an overflow  of blessings and goodness in the form 3 fun and happy little boys.  What could be better than that! 
 

What a Difference a Year Can Make

There isn't a truer statement for us right now.  In my last post I wrote about the new house that we moved to and how we were just getting back into the routine of things.  Well, because of unexpected circumstances,  J changed jobs and moved again, this time back out of state.  Fortunately, back to familiar place and one of our favorite places, Texas!  But all of the moving has only been about 3 a month ordeal.  So what about the rest of the year? Well...

We are officially the parents of two year old twin boys!  Their birthday was last month  and we celebrated in the middle of moving with a small family party at home and the boys had a blast.  So much has changed for the twins since last year.  All the fun things they do and the cute stuff they say.  It is hilarious to watch them interact with each other!   And with so many changes the one thing that hasn't changed is the joy these two sweet boys have brought into our lives.  We love being the parents of twins and I'm so grateful to be their mommy. 
                         

Getting ready for their party!

 We have another year of homeschooling under our belt and we are diving into a new year of second grade material.  It's hard to believe that Tru is seven let alone in second grade.  I will say one of the best decisions we've made as parents has been to school him at home, but it has also been one with many challenges and learning opportunities for myself as a mother.  I think homeschooling is a daily decision to lead your children in every area of their young lives guiding and teaching them.

He's thinking deep thoughts...

Another year of marriage to my awesome husband, J!  We have come a long way from our first years of marriage.  God has blessed us and guided us even in the less unlovely times, it's usually my unlovely times.  So what has changed in our marriage since last year?  Well, for me I can say I am working harder at showing J respect.  I found some tangible ways to were to start by giving him my full attention when he's talking or sharing ideas with me.  Also, caring about the things he cares about and taking interest. Having a nice tone to my voice, especially when I'm asking him for help with something.  Doing what he asks me to instead of just blowing it off because it doesn't seem as important to me.  All of these things anybody would appreciate in any relationship.  Do I get it right every time?  No, I miss the mark but I have made a conscious decision to shoot for it.  One of the great things about marriage is it's not a marathon, it's more like a long journey.  We are growing together and committed to having a better marriage with every passing year.

Let me just brag on J for a minute.  One of the things I've noticed he's started doing for me lately that has improved our marriage is he has been texting or calling me through out the day just to say hello.    It makes me feel so good to know that he's thinking of me. It is a small thing that has a lot of impact on my day.  Small things add up to big things you know.   And isn't that what a year is anyway?   In a year there are a lot little things going on. Some that are mundane and ordinary and some that seem huge and life changing.  But they all add up together and before you know it things have changed.  Hopefully it's good changes.  In our case I've seen more good changes this year than bad and for that I'm so thankful! 

"We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose."

Romans 8:28 (Amp)

Outdoor Explorers

So we're finally finished with the business of  packing and moving thankfully and we're working on the settling in process.  We found a unique rental a little ways from town surrounded by nature and lots of trees.  The house is working out well for us and the boys.  The front porch is a family favorite and with this amazing Autumn weather we use it!

We have been spending our time walking trails, builiding forts, and entertaining "special' visitors i.e. caterpillars, a turtle, and a family of snails.  We have not had the pleasure of meeting the lizards that live around the porch.  However, the last lizard catching attempt did leave Tru with a tail that he was very fascinated with...talk about science lessons at your front door!

 Then ofcourse we have the "Wildman" aka Liam who would proably happily live most of his life outdoors if we let him.  He can't get enough of being outside.  He is a little explorer.  Levi, who enjoys the outside too, loves collecting rocks.  Anytime we walk outside and he will come back in with both little fists full of rocks.  Isn't it funny the things that a parent will do because their children love doing it.  I  would not call myself an outdoorsy person, but I  love that kids are enjoying the outside stuff and I enjoy that!   So I would say so far the new place is working out great.

Looking Ahead

So I haven't fallen off the face of the planet and I have no other excuse for neglecting this blog other than I just haven't gotten around to it lately. So I think an end of Summer recap is in order...

We've spent the last bit of summer celebrating birthdays, mine included as well as Tru's. He turned 7 last Monday...CRAZY! It really is mind blowing how fast kids grow up. We also got to visit with some great friends  from out of town last month.   They took a little time off and hung out with us on a Sunday and we really enjoyed that.  We did have a major project going renovating a house we were going to lease to own but that actually fell through over the weekend. It seems to all worked out okay.   We were bummed at first, but we know that God has something better on the horizon for us. So never the less we will be moving sometime next month which has us packing and searching for a home all at once. If there's something this family can do it's pack. And in the middle of the packing we are homeschooling and I'm working a little part time job on the side. I'm actually waiting on the curriculum to come in this week. Tru is starting 2nd grade this year and we're ready to get started.

A little busier, but who can complain with cooler weather, hopefully, coming and Fall almost in full gear! I love the Fall! So be looking for a few Autumn projects in the works as well as some Fall homeschooling ideas. It's the best time of the year and I can't wait for it to get here.

Can't keep a Little Boy Down

This is one of my favorite pictures of Liam. He is non stop from the time his little boy feet hit the ground in the mornings. He's always climbing, bouncing, playing and he rarely walks anywhere, he runs. He has always been our busy guy. But last week was the first time I had ever seen him slow down. He picked up a little cough the weekend before and by Monday you could tell he wasn't himself. He wasn't playing or running through the house. In fact he spent a lot of time on the couch watching his brothers play and looking somber. He even let me cuddle him for as long as I wanted to. Which for anyone with busy toddlers knows that's a rare thing indeed! We had never seen him so under the weather before.

Definitely not the norm...

.

So I took him in to see the doctor and found out he had a little upper respiratory
infection and it was affecting his ears. This was the first sick visit we have ever had since the twins were born and I have to say we have been so blessed when it comes to having healthy kids. God gets all the praise for that! So after getting a very disgruntled Liam to let the doctor listen to his heart and look at his ears, she prescribed some medicine to help with his ears. He wasn't keen on being a patient or taking his medicine, but he did it with moderate resistance. It took about a day and half for him to be back to his former self, but by the end of the week he was smiling and bouncing around the house like normal. There's nothing I enjoy more than hearing our boys play and run around through the house and I am so thankful Liam recouped quickly. God is so good!

Recipe Turn Around: Chocolate Frosting Pops

So I stumbled on a healthy chocolate recipe a couple weeks ago. I found it at Chocolate Covered Katie's site, where she specializes in making desserts healthy. Her recipe for Chocolate Frosting Shots looked amazing! I had to try it. The recipe is pretty simple and you can get it here. But basically it calls for full fat canned coconut milk, cocoa powder, vanilla, and a little sweetener(I used Truvia). So I made it this weekend, but I accidentally picked up the low fat version of canned coconut milk. It tasted good, but it wasn't working for a frosting. It didn't have the same look or texture as frosting. So there I was trying to figure out how to salvage the recipe when I thought of something...

Chocolate Frosting Pops!

The low fat coconut milk didn't get thick enough for frosting, but was the perfect consistency to freeze. So I poured my "frosting gone wrong" concoction into a Popsicle mold and was very pleased with the results. Next time I will add a little more sweetener to cut through the bitter in the cocoa. Now I can't wait to try this recipe with the right ingredient. But I think I found a new healthy summer treat, because the boys loved it!