da da doo doo just dance

i've been saving this one for a rainy day. a couple of evenings ago while shopping at gap, she taught me a little something about confidence. and letting loose. may we all dance a little in the mirror today...

giggles and teamwork

i am giggling as i compose this post. correction, i am belly laughing. we had a fabulous get together with the family this Easter weekend. i felt blessed beyond measure surrounded by loved ones and loved ones who all know Christ as their Savior. we had a beautiful brunch and basket opening (read: candy overload) and then we ventured outside for a picture of grandpa & grandma and all 6 grandkids. all 6 grandkids 3 years old & under.

that's where my belly laughing comes in.

we gave grandma the responsibility of holding the 2 month old & 1 month old. they were hungry...

my mom's face makes me laugh so hard i cry. in case there are some sensitive readers out there, i am going to refrain from explaining the situation. email me if the pictures don't illustrate what was happening.

ok, ok. enough of that. it was Easter weekend after all.

the kids had a blast on their Easter egg hunt.

while these 2 rested after all of the rooting.

and of course, "papa" was a hit everywhere he went. if these kids could clone him, they would each take one home.

and i can't believe how big this little peanut is getting. through all of our challenges with savvy girl over the last month, it is so exciting to see maggie thriving. maggie & savvy are kindred spirits when it comes to their entrance into the world. both 4 weeks early, both spent time in the nicu, both have their perfect little story.

her strength and beauty shine through those incredibly blue eyes. and her proud dad, my beaming brother, is about as sweet as it gets.

our spunky toddler ran and ran and ran this weekend. her energy and playfulness delight me. and wear me out. this weekend i had bry's help for a few days in a row. it was awesome. this week, back to reality. yesterday was a long one (sans nap from the aforementioned toddler) and i am reminded how i need to ask God for patience and grace at all times. cause guess what, in my own strength, i am lacking.

one of my favorite things about having 2 kids is how much bry & i are a team. he jokes about being man to man, but it's so true. we have grown as a couple because of how much we need each other. we are learning even more how much we complement each other. i love it.

eggs, 8 lbs, mornings, and other loveliness

we done did it. we colored easter eggs. i was so excited to do this with fal gal last year and we never did. somehow getting a 6 month old into the process just didn't work out for me. this year? success. cousin liv and grandma were here to add to the festive spirit.

contrary to the picture above, the girls did have a great time. stirring the cups of dye was high on the list of favorites. i'm so excited about creating traditions with our family and any chance i get, i dive right in. i'm also stuffing eggs for a hunt at my parents on sunday. with 6 kids 3 and under, good times should be had. while our toddler still isn't THAT into crafts & traditions, as long as we have music, she will be happy. she certainly has the beat.

life has been fun around in our little lake. savvy girl is growing like crazy- 8 lbs 3.2 oz at her last appt! i couldn't refrain from a "yahoo" when the nurse weighed her. we were in for an extra ped appt because we think she has reflux. she had a couple of days of projectile vomiting and we're hoping to rule out pyloric stenosis and so far that seems to be the case. this little peanut is giving us a run for our money.

when we were in the nicu, bry walked in one morning to meet me there. b: "look at my eyebrows." me: "ok." b: "they are gray. they were not gray last week before she was born." i think this is just the beginning of gray-ing things.

and mornings have become one of my favorite times of day. once i figure out eating schedules and getting us all downstairs, we have so much fun as our little trio. fal is a morning girl (usually.) and once i've had 2 cups (ok 4 cups) of my french pressed coffee, so am i.

i love mornings because they are new days. "but this i call to mind, and therefore i have hope: the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'the Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore i will hope in Him.'" lamentations 3:21-24

even if the day before ended with not enough patience or grace, tiredness that made me not as in-the-moment as i desire, or with many of my other shortcomings playing out... we wake up to a new day, a gracious God, and an amazing chance to go at it all again. the birds have been chirping during our early morning feed and the light haze that fills the nursery makes me thankful. my eyelids feel heavy, but thankful.

my, how my desk has changed...

looking forward to a Good Friday with bry home, an amazing weekend reflecting on Christ's resurrection, and spending time with fam. and probably some easter sweets. i call this next trio of photos the "thin mint series. so good til it's gone."

hoed it?

probably my new favorite fal gal phrase: "hoed it?"

hold it? it typically occurs when she has something in her hand and needs her hand to do something else. i'm in charge of holding it. it makes me laugh. recently, it has been applied to savvy. "hoed it?" means she wants savvy in her arms, without me helping. it makes my heart smile. i want to give her confidence in her role as big sister, so i'm trying to limit the "don't touch" "careful!!!" "gentle..." "don't poke her eyes" "easy on her arms" "no stepping on her" 's as much as possible. every time she sweetly asks to "hoed it" though, i melt a little bit.

a very typical series of events. i believe savvy's eyes are saying "zoiks!"

her heart is so very in-the-right-place, and soon her coordination will follow. i am amazed at her positive attitude towards this little peanut who gets so much of mom's attention. she is gracious and always, always sweet to her. she is teaching me so much about her spirit and generosity.

and i can't believe sav's go-with-the-flow-ness. her calm temperament and tender eyes bring so much joy & peace to our family.

these 2 belong to us :)

this was our first weekend just at home as a family of four. no visitors, no help, just us being us. we only made it out of the house twice (and sadly it was for costco and toys-r-us) but we had a great time growing together as a family and spending a lot of down time together.

stomping on ants, washing hands, playing with shadows. these are a few of my favorite things.

and sav is pretty much up for whatever! along for the ride of our lives. oh how much we can learn from our kiddo's. enjoy the little things of the day and be flexible to what others want to do. and when you need to or you just want to cuddle, ask others to "HOED IT?".

may you

shake what your mama gave you this weekend...

my grandma's robe

i got a card in the mail a couple of days ago from one of my favorite people- my aunt jill. she was congratulating and sending her blessings for savvy ann. always a pleasure to receive. but aunt jill went one step further. she talked about how my dear grandma, who passed away 8 1/2 years ago now, had prayed for savvy. my grandma was a prayer warrior, you see, and her legacy is that of the most compassionate, sweet soul ever. a woman who's persona exuded what was in her heart- happiness, joy, peace, love.

my aunt jill also included a swatch of my grandma's pink robe. the robe she wore every morning during coffee and her prayers.

my grandma made a difference in savvy's life, all of our lives, even though she never met my husband or either of my girls. i know she is looking down on them now and one day they will meet, but how i wish i could introduce them. i would be so proud of each- that SHE is my family and i might, just might, get an ounce of her in me. that THEY are my family- and she can know that her prayers for health, happiness, and God's provision are present in our lives.

what a legacy.

as the afternoon "tired time" rolls in for me, i am reminded of my grandma's legacy. while i know she was so accomplished in many things and she was great at sewing, baking, socializing, etc. the legacy that comes to mind is that of her gentle spirit and kind smile. i can picture her sitting, observing all of the grandkids. such an observer. she always had this slight smile on her face. her expressions were soft and her loveliness beamed from deep within.

if i can't get anything else done in my day: dishes have piled up, the floor has many "piles" on it, etc. etc. etc., i find encouragement in channeling my grandma. feeling her pink robe in my hands and recommitting to praying for my kids, their kids, and their kids kids. i am recharged to read more books with fal and hold sav just a little bit longer before i try to teach her how to fall asleep. my tired eyes relax a little bit as i picture her smile and her tenderness.

so thank you aunt jill. and thank you grandma.

"strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. she opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. she looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her." pr 31:25-28

weekend vs weekend

holy smokes, what a difference in the last 2 weekends. last weekend, we squeezed in rushed family time in the early am before i ran off to the nicu. this weekend? we did not leave the house except for a venture to our fav downtown deli for lunch.

bry's folks were in town for the weekend and fal got to play with cousin liv in the backyard for hours on end. what a wonderful way to spend our first weekend at home with the girls.

fal going in for the kill.

our adjustment has been going swimmingly. fal gal is still more interested in running around the house than playing with savvy. although, at the aforementioned deli, we saw a group of 5-10 year old girls and fal greeted them with a "hiiiii" and immediately pointed to her sister, proudly introducing them to "savvy." bless her little heart. and this went on for awhile. "hiiiii. savvy." i thought it might be the post-partum hormones making me tear up, but i caught bry's eyes glistening and i knew it was just a really special moment.

one of our big challenges is getting all of us up or down the stairs. and by all of us i mean myself, the girls, and the dog. the dog has taken a few spills down the steps as of recent and he tends to stop right in front of my feet as we go down. not good when i'm carrying a hefty toddler or fragile infant. if i'm not taking care of them, i'm strategizing my next move.

we're also still challenged in the nursing department. at the end of each night i'm exhausted from trying and the 3-part process that is necessary for her development (nurse, bottle, pump) but each morning God gives me new strength and perspective and i'm ready to have at it again. i had a visit with the lactation consultants at the hospital yesterday, and it turns out i have raynaud's. after i had an abscess with fal gal and now premature status & raynaud's with sav, i'm starting to understand why a dear friend of mine says that satan can attack new mother's through breastfeeding. thankfully, savvy hits the bottle like a champ and i'm able to pump like a true bessie, so she's getting the good stuff. we will figure something out.

this week holds bry's first night out of town. 2 weeks ago, well 1 week ago for that matter, i never thought i would have confidence in handling these 2 little munchkins on my own. i really saw myself being "nervous" with savvy forever, but God has provided us with answered prayers and continued growth in our little peanut. and while i'm still a little nervous, i'm quite excited to take on the task of our pink duo. they are a combined 37 pounds, i got this ;)

good thing we've had NO SHORTAGE of people loving on our girls.

and as for a savvy babe update:

7 lbs 2.3 oz, like i said, she can eat!

great 2 week appt at the ped

wakes every 3-4 hours at night to eat, then right back to sleep

eats every 3-4 hours during the day and her "wake time" is getting longer with each session

her eyes are looking pretty blue so far!

she takes fallon's nose pokes like a champ

and for fal gal:

she counts to 10 and holds 9 in such a climatic fashion

asks us to pray with her several times a day, has given me new meaning to pray without ceasing

she loves to feel her hair blow in the wind, so standing at the back screen door is a new favorite hobby

"walk?" is probably what i hear most throughout the day, all she wants to do is walk around the block

she's independent as ever, but has gotten a tad more cuddly/needy when i hold sav

loves playing with her mop, cars, babies, savvy's car seat, big shot's tail, boxes, and elmo

and she keeps us laughing at all times