Laundry Room Makeover

This used to be my laundry room. Isn't she lovely?



It wouldn't have been so bad if that wasn't the back door....the back door that we walk through each and every time we leave the house.

Or if this linoleum wasn't totally guh-ross.

Or if the walls, ceiling, cabinets, and trim weren't ALL painted this hideous yellow. You can't tell it's that hideous, but please take my word for it.


So...Dustin went to work on it. I love Dustin.

He ripped up the flooring and laid tile. He painted the walls a nice tan color and the ceiling, cabinets, and trim white. He built shelves in the cabinet so that all of my laundry paraphernalia could hide behind closed doors. He built a shelf to go between the washer and dryer with a door to hide my trash can. He even built me a shelf with a rod so that I could hang clothes up as I was taking them out of the dryer. And he installed a rack for all of my brooms and mops. Did I mention I love Dustin?



That's my throwback to 1980's fabric crafts. A ragginmuffin garland displaying pictures of the boys. And a lamp for ambiance...just because I'm worth it :)



It's such a nicer place to spend my time...and I spend plenty of it back here.

The Mother Load!!!

Today, as we all know, we celebrate motherhood, and why not? We celebrate everything else in this country… Flag day, Washington’s birthday, Columbus day, and even a few holidays like Easter and Christmas rooted in pagan traditions. But all joking aside, I think this is one of the best days we observe. The time, effort, work, dedication, and organization it takes to wear the name mother seems to be immeasurable. Seeing my wife in action day after day taking on the challenges of motherhood, I now have a better picture of just how important of a job it is and how draining it can be. After just a few hours alone with the boys I start to wonder, “When is Amy getting home?” Sometimes I’ll even ask the boys hoping they might give the answer as they are whining or crying. Yet she does it day in and day out, and I couldn’t imagine anyone doing a better job.

And then I think about my own dear ol’ mom raising me and my three siblings, who were anything but easy to raise. However, she did raise us in love, and if you ask me, she did a pretty good job. And then I think of my mother-in-law who has taken me as if I were one of her own and how the wonderful job my wife is doing with our two sons is a tribute to my mother-in-law’s dedication to being a mother. And still today our mothers would do anything at the drop of hat for us or any of their kids. These two women are the most tenderhearted, selfless people I know and there is no price that could be set for what they have accomplished as mothers. The most admirable quality of these three women is their love for God and their dedication in keeping their children within his flock. My boys are blessed to have such wonderful mothers in their lives.

Sorry Mom but this picture is too good not to put up!!!

That's one happy grand-baby!

Bloom Where You Are Planted

Whatever it is we do in life, whatever path we choose, we have endless opportunity to do good. No matter how big or small our talents, we can use them to help others. I'm not sure we realize the impact we can have on those around us...until we are the recipient of such blessings.

We have been the beneficiaries of such love and generosity and it has changed me as a person.

I barely laid eyes on Eli and Landon the first hours of their lives. Immediately after their birth, they were whisked away to the NICU. On the way from recovery to my hospital room, the nurses wheeled me through the NICU, but I couldn't move from laying down and the boys were under oxygen hoods, making it hard to see them anyway. So I was taken to my room to rest with the promise that I could come back later if I felt up to it.
If I felt up to it? Are you kidding? Could anything keep me away from those precious babies?

I don't remember much of anything from the rest of that day, but I DO remember Amy.

Amy was a nurse who worked nights in the NICU. She was different from a lot of our other nurses. She was energetic, upbeat, and always smiling. She was extremely helpful, understanding, and patient with me as I asked 7,859 questions each and every time I saw her. She encouraged us to do "kangaroo care" and me to nurse. She gave us as much help and guidance as we needed as we tried to learn how to best care for those tiny bodies, but she also gave us a lot of independence and liberties. She not only took care of Eli and Landon, but she took care of me as well as I was recovering.

Amy was with Eli and Landon their first night and she was with them every other night she worked for the month of October. I got the best rest on the nights I knew Amy was with the boys. She really cared about them and it showed. And for an exhausted, stressed, hormonal, recovering from surgery, worried mom...that was a huge blessing.


It would have been easy for Amy to show up and just do her job, but she never did that. She did so much more. She made blankets for the boys, bought them preemie outfits to wear, took pictures of them during the night and had them developed for me. Even after we were home, she called to check on us, continued to answer questions for me, had us over for lunch when we had doctor appointments in Lubbock since we couldn't go into restaurants, and even went to appointments with me to help.

Amy came to visit us a couple of months ago and had this plate made for the boys. It has their hand and foot prints in the middle. It is such a special gift!


I say all of this to say...no matter our job or talent or place in life...we too can make the choice to be a servant to others. Thank you, Amy. You have been a blessing to us and have taught me an important lesson.

Amy is about to embark on a new adventure in life and we wish her all the best! I have no doubt that she will continue to be a blessing to all those that know her.


We happen to have the same clothes now that we had when the boys were in the hospital, so just for reference...here's how much we've grown.


And here are a few recent pictures

Landon

Eli

Eli & Landon

Babies Everywhere!

Saturday, we had all of our friends that live within 90 miles and have a child 1 or under over for a cookout and playdate. It was a lot of fun and so good to see everyone. There were nine adults and six children and it wasn't nearly as chaotic as I expected it to be.

Here are a few pictures from the day.

All of the babies except for Noah, who was sleeping.
Left to Right: D'Laney, Eli, Avery, Landon, Emma Claire

Everyone but Stefanie at dinner

Everyone but me, Eli, and Landon

We are so thankful to have such good friends and that Eli and Landon have so many good kids to grow up with!

Psalm 127:3

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. - Psalm 127:3

I have prayed for Eli & Landon from the time I learned of their being. When we learned of the potential problems we would encounter, I prayed harder. When I learned that they (according to medicine) had exactly the same chance of both living as they did of both dying, still I prayed harder. I had no lack of faith - I know that God's abilities have no limit. I knew that God could heal them and keep them safe. What I didn't know was God's will. I pray to God and He always answers my prayers, but it is not always with an answer of "yes". And I am completely at peace with that knowing that our omniscient and omnipotent Father truly knows what is best for us. At the time, I felt compelled to tell God that if trusted with these enormous blessings, I would not take the responsibility lightly. That I would look to His teachings on how to raise my children. That I would bring them up to know Him, to know right and wrong, to love, honor, and fear Him. It wasn't a bargain...it was a promise.

It's a promise that I daily strive to keep.

Of all the new things we have been able to do with Eli and Landon these past few weeks...my favorite thing is going to church as a family. Despite the fact that my ability to pay attention has hit an all time low and the fact that I feel like I've wrestled with a walrus when is it over, it is such a joy to be there.

I have a ton to learn about parenting. Dustin and I read books, we think back to our own raisings (we turned out pretty good I guess), and we watch and learn from other families who have obedient and respectful children. We just want to be the best we can for Eli and Landon.

Our ultimate goal for Eli and Landon and whatever other children we may have is for them to grow up and decide to become Christians, or even better, preachers or elders in the Lord's church like several of their grandpas and great-grandpas. Nothing would bring us more joy. And what we do today is setting the foundation for that. Now more than ever do children need to be taught the difference between right and wrong. The world's moral standard is so far removed from God's standard and it can be confusing for someone who is not firmly grounded in the truth...especially a child.

So for now, we will guard their innocent and pure hearts and teach them to do the same for themselves as they grow and mature.

Landon and Eli in Bible class last Sunday

A sweet couple from church got these shirts for the boys. The front says, "Working For Him"

The back says "I am God's workmanship, Created in Christ to do good works. Ephesians 2:30"
That's right, sweet babies, you sure are.

We Love Daddy!

Here are Eli and Landon proudly proclaiming their love for Daddy.

Landon

Eli

And if it were socially acceptable, I might wear a similar shirt as well. Dustin is such a great Daddy. He spends every spare moment with Eli and Landon and he helps me tremendously. I know I couldn't do it without him. Eli and Landon just light up when he comes home from work. He is so patient and gentle and he makes us all feel at ease when he is around.

Four years ago tonight, Dustin asked me to marry him. It involved 5 sweet letters, lots of tulips, a few lies, candles, and a diamond ring. At the time...I thought he was perfect. If you asked me to name one flaw, I couldn't do it. Four years later...I still can't. I think he's perfect and he's definitely perfect for me!

He thinks I'm silly for keeping up with things like our "first date anniversary", "engagement anniversary" and other days that are seemingly insignificant, but it's just a reminder to me of where we started and how blessed I am. Who doesn't like to remember that every once in a while?

Time flies...

when you are finally out and about!

Here's what we've been up to...

We turned six months old! We are rolling all over the house, trying our hardest to crawl, sitting up with a little help and for a few seconds on our own, eating all sorts of good things like sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, mashed potatoes, bananas, applesauce, pears, and squash, and laughing and smiling a whole lot.

Here we are eating. Sometimes we are too busy playing with each other to eat. (sorry if the food hanging out of Landon's mouth grosses you out!)

My dad and Anita came to see us last Thursday through Saturday! It was so wonderful to have them here. They helped us around the house, with the babies, and they worked all day Friday helping us turn our yard into a sight no longer to be embarrassed about! It ranks up there on my running list of "Nicest Things Anyone Has Ever Done For Me."

Please don't look at me in this picture, but DO look at how Dustin dressed himself, Eli, and Landon. I laughed until I cried. He thinks he's so funny.

We have an exersaucer that the boys LOVE to jump in. Grandpa decided that one jumping machine was not enough for two boys who love to jump, so on his 157th trip to Wal-Mart, he came back with this beauty. We all love it except we can't touch the ground in it yet. At least our Strong's Concordance is getting good use.

Saturday afternoon, we left to spend Easter in Iraan. We got to Nana and Papa's house just in time for the big party and egg hunt. Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

Okay, this isn't from the weekend, but it's my sweet Eli.

Eli and Landon's Easter gift from Nana and Papa. They love their new cars! We'll have to get together with Heath and Hunter for one big game of bumper cars!

And here is Midland's most eligible bachelor:

Somehow, I didn't get one picture of the boys on Easter. Keva snapped a few pictures of us after church, so maybe one of those will turn out.

Well, that's all we've been up to. We are enjoying our freedom and the boys are eating up all of the attention they get when we're out. I have decided that I have to plan anything I take the boys along for to take 37 times more time than it would take if I was alone. They sure keep life interesting!