Missing "My Haley"

We sent Haley off to Woodland Christian Camp on Sunday. If you don't kow about Woodland, it's amazing. Evan and I had the opportunity to spent countless hours at Woodland when we were with Georgia Tech Christian Campus Fellowship.
And now we have the opportunity to send Haley there every summer to spend time having a blast and growing closer to Jesus.
Haley just loves it at Woodland. So much so that when we took her to her cabin, she gave us a quick hug, told us bye and expected we would be leaving immediately. Part of me was a little sad because she is growing up and doesn't need me as much any more. But I kept telling myself that she has such a good time and is so comfortable there, she is just ready to get the fun started. I can't take it personally because I am so thrilled that she gets to spend 3 days being her own person. No little brother and no worrying about the world around her.
Speaking of little brothers, Britton was a mess last night at bed time. He calls his sister by the name "my Haley" and last night he really missed her alot. The tears were flowing and he was very sad not to have her around. He kept saying "it's just no fun here without my Haley".
This proves she is a great big sister. Something I am grateful for.
I am glad they have a special bond.
So I pray Haley is having a blast. But we will all be ready for her to come home on Wednesday.
Because she is a very special part of our family. We love and miss "my Haley".

Schools out for Summer

The first day of school and the last day of school.

It was an interesting year.

And it's hard to believe that when they go back in August we will have a 5th grader and a Kindergartner. A 10 year old and a 5 year old.

Glimpses

Random pictures of our life. The life I love.


For 3 years, she has been a cheerleader.

She looks like a cheerleader.

She has the build of a cheerleader.

And now she has decided she wants to play softball.

I've been cutting his hair since he turned 9 months old.

I love a boy with a buzz cut.

But for some reason, we've decided to let it grow a little.

Not because it's the popular style.

Because we have never seen it longer than a 3 guard razor cut.

And because I have always wondered if his hair would curl like his Daddy's when it grew longer.

I wonder if I'll get tired of his little mop?

He sure is cute though.

There are 2 things wrong with this picture.

2 changes I have made.

1st- there is a book in my hand.

That's the 3rd one I've read in 3 weeks.

More books than I have read in 12 years.

2nd- those red fingernails.

They are red because I paint them to remind me not to bite them.

And I've gone 2 weeks without biting them.

Not a big deal for most, but HUGE for me.

See those boots? They are size 13 Georgia Boots.

6 months ago I would have been pretty mad that they were sitting in the kitchen (clearly not where they belong!)

But now I am thankful that they are there.

Because them sitting there means that Evan went to work and came home.

And that is the most treasured thing to me right now.

He is healthy and comes home to me and the kids every day.

What a neat life I get to be a part of.

He gets it honest

I hate to type this out, but Evan, you are right.
Our son is just like his Mama.
And I'm not sorry for that.
Because I like him just the way he is.




His stubbornness can be a bear to deal with sometimes.
But he's a boy who knows what he wants.
I like to believe this will turn into determination.
I think he'll probably move mountains one day.

His impulsiveness has landed him in the Principal's office many a time.
But that's his way of letting those around him know he means business.
I hope he will take this trait and uses it to be a great leader.
Someone who will take charge and run with his dreams.
I want him to know he can do anything.

And his need for order and structure. That is enough to drive anyone crazy.
But who doesn't love order and structure?
I feel certain he will thrive because he will always have his routine.

And all of these things, he got from me- his Mom.
As we sat with his teacher this morning for a parent/ teacher conference, I couldn't help but think of myself. Every trait his teacher pointed out about Britton are traits I too display.
I'm the one who is stubborn, impulsive and needs structure.
And look at where it has landed me.
I have a strong faith in Jesus.
An amazing husband.
Two beautiful, sweet and fun children.
And a life I'm proud to lead.

So it is my hope that Britton doesn't change a bit. I just hope he grows to learn that the traits that Mama gave him- the traits that God gave him, can be put to good use.
Oh how I love that boy.

Happy Mother's Day, Evan!

I'm sure many of you have heard me say it-

Evan makes a much better Mom than I do! I'm serious, he does.

It has nothing to do with not being manly, as you can take one look at him and be overwhelmed by his stature and physical presence.

But those of you that have the privilege of knowing him already know that 99% of Evan Bryant is heart. He has an amazing heart. The heart of a true caregiver.

And he ADORES children. I mean really. Like he would rather hold a baby than anything.

And my heart melts every time.

Because I am so lucky to have someone in my life who is a perfect example of God's never failing love. Here's a few times I love to see him in action:

Evan puts our kids to bed every night. That might not sound like a big deal, but for 30 minutes every night he does the exact same routine. All the while using the patience of a saint to get them settled in to sleep. And heaven forbid I have to stand in and try to make bed time work. Cause those kids don't like it one bit when their routine is altered in the least bit.

Case in point- the night after Evan had his thyroid removed. We spent all kinds of time mentally preparing the kids for a few days of change in routine. And the time came, and there were 3 of us in tears and 1 of us unconscious. Britton cried because I just couldn't get all of the steps to his routine correct. Haley cried because she was upset about her Daddy. And I cried because Britton told me he thought I probably just needed to not try and put him to bed- because I wasn't as good at it as Daddy. And Evan being the complete soft-hearted trooper that he is got up 2 days post-surgery and put the kids to bed the next night.

Did I mention he also gets our kids up in the morning? Yep. He dresses Britt, keeps Haley focused on getting ready and gets them to the kitchen. Where he also fixes breakfast and makes lunches. All of this happens when I am trying to get my non-morning person self out of bed.

And I should let you know also that Evan is not just awesome with our kids, he is amazing with all children.

If you ever want to see a really neat sight, go to the nursery at our church on some Wednesday nights and you will see Evan in the floor playing with the toddlers. Or you might see him walking the halls carrying a crying baby that misses their mommy. It's what he likes to do. And he's one of the only men I've ever seen in the nursery at the church. And being 6'4", it's really quite a sight to see him with a baby or toddler. Again, my heart melts.

And then there is his t-ball team. Yes, the man coached a t-ball team while being treated for cancer. And he did it with a level of patience that I'm not sure is human. Many people would have lost it completely with some of the kids he had. But he just kept telling them what a good job they were doing. Just like Jesus would have.

So this Sunday, on Mother's Day, I will be honored by my kids for being their mom. But I know deep down I couldn't do it without my other half. I can clean a mean house and run a tight ship, but the man with the biggest heart ever really is the one that makes it all work. I love you Evan Bryant.

PS- The lady in the middle of the picture at the top of this post is Evan's mom. And I'm pretty sure that she is the reason Evan is who he is today. She has a heart of gold and she would do anything for anyone. Happy Mother's Day to the best mother-in-law ever, Anita!

Dishes don't belong in the sink

I am ready to give an answer to another one of my loyal follower's questions.

This one just so happens to come from best friend Bee. So here goes:

"I think you should blog about how you keep your house clean and organized"

This is a great topic in my opinion. As it is one of my life's passions.

Nothing makes me happier than coming home to a clean house.

And I ALWAYS Do.

Because I have one rule that makes it all happen.

RULE #1: BEING CLEAN AND NEAT IS NOT AN OPTION IN MY HOME

Plain and simple. If you want to live in my house, you will be clean and neat. That includes small children. And I have instilled this in my children from the time they were old enough to listen and comprehend. And by doing so, my children understand that having a clean house makes life easier. And we don't panic to find things in the morning. And we rarely have conflicts about anything related to cleaning or our house. Because they know what is expected. And they know that if they don't comply, they have to answer to me. This is something that is not good. As I am better known as The Cleaning Nazi.

But lucky for them, they are so well trained in the art of clean, that I almost never have to get on to them. And if I do, I'm usually nit-picking because I want it to be perfect.

This might sound harsh to some.

But to me it is worse on my kids to be yelling at them for not knowing where something is.

Or to let them live in a home that is dusty or has dirt or crumbs on the floor.

And my kids don't have chores to do all week because we have 1 time a week where everyone helps clean for about 2 hours. And after that, my kids are free to do whatever they want for the other 6 days and 22 hours. So I will argue with you that my way is the right way if you want to argue. But I think my kids will tell you that they like being part of a clean household.

And so now the real answer to Bee's question- HOW DO I (we) KEEP A CLEAN? ORGANIZED HOUSE? I'll answer it with several points.

1. We clean once a week, as a family for about 2 hours. Sometimes more, sometimes less. But we get everything done around the house. We dust, vacuum, clean base boards, scrub toilets, mop floors, disinfect and everything else that goes into cleaning a house. Nothing is skipped.

Most of the time, our regularly scheduled clean time is about 10am-12 noon on Saturday. Recently, we have had baseball so we have moved cleaning to Sunday from about 2-4. It makes it so easy to have a scheduled time because the kids get into cleaning mode and know that soon it will all be over and they will have a clean house and plenty of free time.

2. We do not allow making messes. If you want to make a mess, go outside or somewhere else. But there is really no justification for a mess. I will say that I let my kids play like all kids should, but when they get something out, they must put it up before getting something else out. How easy is that? And they also know that crumbling cookies into the carpet or getting out paint or glue without me know might cause their demise (just kidding people).

3. We do not allow clutter. I live by a simple rule: IF YOU DON'T USE IT AT LEAST ONCE IN 30 DAYS, IT DOES NOT BELONG IN YOUR HOUSE. There are a few exceptions, like the Christmas tree, but that is why it lives in the attic. Everything else falls under the rule. We do not keep baby items that our kids aren't using. We give them away immediately. We do not keep papers, magazines, brochures, mail. We do not keep old clothes or shoes. We do not keep old lotions or shampoo or items that we didn't like after buying them. We give ALOT away. Because I feel like if we don't use it and someone else can- that's a win-win.

4. We always clean up after a meal. Completely. As in we put the dishes in the dishwasher. Wipe the table off. Wipe the counters off. Sweep the floor. And we leave the kitchen the same way every time- clean. And everyone helps.

5. We do small things that make a huge difference. Here are a few:

-We NEVER put dishes in the sink, they will pile up

-I vacuum daily unless I'm dying or have surgery and a doctor's note. You can eat off of our carpet. And we will not be in the market for carpet any time soon because we take care of it. That's big money savings.

-We don't wear shoes in the house. Which doesn't just help the carpet. It keeps alot of dirt and grime out of the house in general.

-We have a "spot" for everything. Everything goes in the same place every time. And if something is out of place, my kids hear, "That does not go there" or "That doesn't live there" and they know what I mean. Move it or it goes in the trash. Easy enough.

-We don't keep items sitting out on counters, dressers or on the floor. The hair dryer does not belong on the counter. Surfaces are to be nice and clear. Some people might say boring, I say clutter-free.

-We don't wait until spring cleaning to do certain tasks. We clean every thing every time. So it's always clean.

-We clean before we leave on vacation or have a major life event like a surgery (which we have had our share of lately). Coming home to a clean house is fabulous.

And I could literally go on for hours about keeping my house clean. Because again, it is something I find important. And I don't miss out on special times with my family because I am cleaning. And I don't stress out when someone is coming over.

My life is better because we choose to keep a clean house.

Plus, the little voices in my head wouldn't have it any other way.

And when it is clean, no one gets hurt.

PS- It is not unusual for my child to insist on helping her friends clean their room. And at least on one occasion, I have had another mom tell me that Haley told their child that being clean is not an option in her house! I'm so proud.

And then there was Britton..

In this post, I told the story of how our first born Haley came into this world. And for 5 years, 1 month and 14 days, she was an only child. And then our lives changed forever...
After Haley was born, Evan and I decided that we were going to be a one child family. We liked the size of our family and I wasn't thrilled about the idea of having another high risk pregnancy.
Until Haley was about 3 and I got baby fever. And i just felt like maybe we were meant to have another child. And Evan didn't disagree.
So I stopped taking pills and we decided to see what happened.
I have a very vivid memory of sitting across the table from Evan one night when we had a date night at Outback. It had been 8 months since we had decided to start trying for #2. And in 8 months, nothing happened. And I was sad. Really sad. As I looked across at him, I cried. I couldn't help it. I cried because I wanted a baby. And it wasn't happening.
And so I decided to go to the doctor. And she there was nothing wrong. That until we had tried for a year, I was not in need of help. I left frustrated.
And at the 1 year point of trying to have a baby, I decided it wasn't supposed to happen. And I decided I was not going to think about it anymore. Part of me even decided it was a dumb idea to even want another baby. Why would I want an infant when I had a child that was starting to be self-sufficient? And so I gave up.
And I got pregnant.
I took a test by myself thinking that it would be negative like all the rest. But it had a faint pink line. And I panicked. And the only thing I knew to do was call Evan. He was in the checkout line at Wal-Mart and I called him and said "I think we're having a baby". And I think he didn't know what to think and just went on about his business as if it were just another day. I think they call that shock.
And so we did the normal "we're having a baby" things. Until I was 19 weeks pregnant and I started to have contractions. We spent 1 night in the hospital hooked to monitors and me taking shots. And things seemed to calm down. Until 29 weeks. I went into a regular OB appointment not feeling well. She decided I needed to see a neonatologist because I was contracting and dialating a little. So I went to see Dr. Brown in Decatur.
I while I was in her office, I went into full blown labor.
She called the hospital and wanted me to take a ambulance, but I decided Evan needed to drive me and she agreed.
As soon as we got to the hospital, we were sent into a room and I was immediately put on Mag Sulfate. They had been waiting on us.
I was so scared and sad. I was not ready to have a preemie.
Another just like my pregnancy with Haley, I have 5-6 days of my life that I do not remember. I was medicated and sedated and doctors did everything they could to keep my baby in.
And on the 7th day, I needed to go home. It was Haley's 5th birthday. And she needed her Mommy there. But the doctor said no. She said I could not leave the hospital because I was not stable on my own.
But I signed myself out. I had to. It was the right thing to do. And the doctor in charge of my care told me I was endangering my unborn child's life and that if something happened, I was to blame. It was hard. But I sign saying that I was willingly resisting medical treatment.
And I was discharged on complete bed rest, flat on my back.
Haley's party went well. She was happy I was there. I felt awful and hardly remember anything.
And for the next 4 weeks I laid still. And I went to the neonatologist once a week. And they did all they could to keep me from dilating any further. I stayed at 2.
And at 36 weeks, I was taken off of all medications. And Britton waited 1 more week to come (with a little help from a midwife).
On Aug 16th I went to a 10am appointment. The midwife came in, I started to cry. She knew I was in pain and in early labor. And so she stripped my membranes (gross and ouch) and I was at the hospital by 12:30 ready to have a baby.
I had an epidural as soon as I got there. And it malfunctioned. I had some sort of "hot spot" reaction that caused my body to feel extreme pain. And so they turned the epidural off.
And I gave birth to an 8 pound 5 oz butterball naturally.
And it was awful. I have never felt worse in my life. And the whole experience was insane.
Like when the midwife told me to reach down and pull out my baby! And that was not a part of my plan (not that I had a plan but that was not a part of it!).
But then there he was.
Chubby, bald headed and big headed. But sweet and mine.
And I should have know on that day that God was sending us an adventure. Cause that is what Britton is- an adventure! Never a dull moment when he is around.
I am so glad that God blessed us with #2. As I say often, "Life would be boring with Britton around!"
Love that boy of mine.

Featured Question #2- What Keight wants to know

So in this post, I asked for my readers to give me subjects to blog about.
And the all too fabulous Keight had a question that I think will make for some extra good blogging. In her words, here is the question:
"how did your two pregnancies/deliveries differ? did you know their sexes beforehand? did you predict your own delivery dates? i would just plain love to hear your birth stories"

Dear Keight,
Brace yourself. It's not a pretty story to tell. But I got two beautiful kids out of the deal. And I said I would answer anything. So here goes with "Revenge of the Pregnancy Part I" and it's sequel "Wow, really, I thought 2nd pregnancies were supposed to be easier".
And to go ahead and answer the easy parts of your question- No I did not predict my own delivery dates and yes I knew the sex of my kids at 20 weeks gestation each time (I can't handle surprises!)
Love, Lori

The Story of Haley (now 9)-
For this one I will take you back to 1996. I was told by a gynocologist that there was a good chance I would never have kids. At this point, I was in high school and frankly the idea of never having kids thrilled me. I mean who would wanted to have to birth and take care of another human being- duh. And the medical part of this is that I had fibroids and endometriosis. They made for the worst cramps and junk ever. So that fact that little growths already in my uterus sucked, I certainly didn't want to have a child growing in there ever.
And then I went to college and met the man of my dreams. The fabulous Evan. And we dated and got married in a total of two years. And he knew all along that he was getting himself into what could be a kidless marriage. But we were in love and kids weren't really at the forefront of our thoughts at that point.

So flash foward to 1999. Evan had been out of school for about a year. I was a junior. And being that I was married, I had gone on birth control pills just in case. So I marched myself to the Student Health Center and saw the very cool and hip gyno because I needed some refills and the dreaded "annual checkup" was needed. So I went through the hellish exam. And at the end of hell, the gyno told me that everything looked pretty good (that's odd to me that someone can say that about that part of a woman) and that she thought birth control had made a difference in my uterus. And we kept talking for a while and she said she felt comfortable that I would be able to have a baby. But she said it might take a while- likes years maybe.

So like any good wife, I went home and told the hubs the news. And somehow, in our minds, this all meant it was time to start the baby making. And so I stopped taking the pill and well- I was pregnant. After one month of trying. And I should mention that at this point in our lives, we were living with Evan's parents-waiting for our tiny little first house in Senoia to be built.

And now to the pregnancy part- with the exception of having the flu at 12 weeks, my pregnancy was great until 30 weeks. And then the bottom fell out- literally!

My body decided it didn't want to be pregnant anymore and I went into labor. It happened in the middle of birthing classes at Southern Regional. We were sitting there in a room full of pregnant women and their spouses. All of the sudden, my body tightened up and I became very uncomfortable. So I waddled to the front of the class, looked at the nurse who was teaching the class and said, "I don't feel good". She put her hand on my belly, said I was having intense contractions and admitted me to Southern Regional.
And the next 7 days are a blur. I was placed on Magnesium Sulfate and kept sedated with Stadol. I have little to no recollection of the next several days. That's where Evan would have to fill you in. But I know it was hell.

So then I was sent home on complete bedrest. And I sat and I sat and I sat. And throw in there the occasional run to the hospital for more drugs to keep the baby in.
I did manage to attend a wedding during bedrest that was a bad idea as I'm pretty sure I contracted the whole time and I freaked a bunch of people out.
And at 36 weeks, I was taken off bedrest. And the contractions stopped coming so regularly. And at 37 weeks I was still pregnant.

Until July 2nd at about 12:30 in the morning when I knew Haley was ready to be here. So we drove 45 minutes to the hospital. Walked the halls for 2 hours and were told that we probably should just go home because I wasn't progressing. I was 2 cm. and they could not admit me into L/D until I was showing progression.
SO the sweet nurse that had to give me the bad news gave me a prescription sleep pill and told me to go home and drink some wine and go to bed. Wuh?? Drink wine during pregnancy? She said yep- it would relax my body. And as much as I love wine, I did not take her advice for fear that I would have a baby with three legs.
But I did take the sleeping pill and boy was it a good one. As soon as we got home after 3 hours at the hospital and 45 minutes in the car, I was out.
So Evan and I got into bed to have a nice long sleep at around 6am. Me because of a sleeping pill and him out of pure exhaustion.

And as soon as we were both dead to the world, a raging gush of fluid came from my you-know-where. That's right- my water broke. And I don't mean it felt like I had peed on myself. It was so violent that Evan got wet across the bed. Craziest thing ever- I swear.
And we entered panic mode. Which meant we got into the car exactly as we were. Me in a pair of Evan's boxers, a t-shirt and no bra. And I had not bothered to pack a bag. So I looked super cute. And once my water broke, I have never and will never feel as much pain as I did. I pretty much screamed all the way to the hospital. And I screamed at all of the people at the hospital. And I was just downright unpleasant.

Until the epidural. Which was the best thing ever. Mine worked so well that I could not feel anything from my neck down. And I did not feel a thing for 2 days as a matter of fact.

And then she was born at 12:15 in the afternoon. A beautiful, perfect 7 pound big-headed baby. And my life was changed forever. Because at 22 years old, I was now Mommy.
So yeah, it was not the easiest time getting Haley into this world. But so worth every moment of pain. And I love that girl dearly. More than I could ever imagine I would.
The End

So if you think this story is kinda crazy, stany tuned for Part 2- Britton. Shuh! That will be a good read!

The Farmer in the dell

We had a really great Sunday.

It all started with church of course. And boy am I glad we were there. The message was unbelievable and I would say it was written for Evan. It was from Galatians and talked about bearing each others burdens. And lately we have had to get used to allowing others to take some of the burden for us. It's been hard, but the message showed that it is ok to have help and to ask for help. But we should always remember to return the favor when others are in need. Loved the message! And love the guy who delivered the message, Coenraad Brand. A new friend of ours and the intern at our church. Here he is in action.

After church, we ate with friends from college. It was so nice to catch up with them and get to spend time visiting with them and their sweet little girl. It's also nice to know that we have friends who remain true even when we don't get to see each other as much as we would like to.

After lunch, we went home and did a little laundry before heading out to Home Depot. We are tryiing to find a new riding lawn mower so we went to investigate our options. We did not come home with a lawn mower, but we did come home with this:

a tomato plant

cucumber seedlings

a pepper plant

2 bags of soil

a window planter

and a rose bush

All because I got caught up in looking at all of the cool stuff Home Depot had sitting in the middle of the aisles in the gardening section. And since I have always aspired to live on a farm, I thought why not start a small farm in our kitchen. Since of course I could not plant anything in our yard because of the deer.

So here is what I ended up with, an indoor farm that I'm sure will make Martha Stewart proud. As long as I don't kill it of course. I envision coming home and picking fresh veggies and making all kinds of beautiful salads (haha)!

And here is a picture of my sweet little farming helper. And one of daddy and his helper. They managed to clean out some small trees and bushes from one of the islands by our house. It was so cute to see her helping her dad when I thought she would rather be planting stuff with me. She is certainly a daddy's girl and I have my little mama's boy.

This kid carries my heart

This kid carries 1/3 of my heart around with him each and every day. And that part he stole. From the moment I first saw him, I knew that he would be Mama's boy. And he has managed to steal a few other hearts along the way.

Most people say he looks alot like me. When I see him, I see my dad. Which I think is pretty neat. Because I adore them both.

And in all things give thanks

I have decided today that I am going to make of list of a few of the things I am thankful for in light of all the things that life has entailed lately. Because as hard as some of this journey has seemed, the glory of God continues to shine brighter than ever on our family. So here goes- things I am thankful for:

1. Family- I have amazing in-laws (I hate even calling them that because they really are just a second set of parents to me). They do everything that we could ever need to get through the days. And they love the 4 of us unconditionally and with all that they have. I always feel like I must be in a dream since must people don't "like" their in-laws. But I LOVE mine and it is wonderful. And I so deeply appreciate that my mother-in-law tells me without fail that she loves me- because she does. And that to me is awesome.

And my parents are pretty amazing too. They are pretty busy these days, but never fail to call and ask how Evan is doing. And it is so sweet to me that my Mom begins to cry every time I talk about going to the doctor with Evan. She is his biggest fan and he is her favorite son-in-law.

And my brother called to tell Evan that he loved him the other day.

And my aunt who I never get to see called to say that she was praying for us daily and that she admired the love that Evan and I share.

All that being said- I am so very thankful for family.

2. Friends. We have friends that have been around since elementary school. Some from high school, college and church. Some have been around for 25 years, some for a year or two. But they all have managed to be ever present when we need them most.

We have best friends that have rallied around us and been constant support. We have friends from far away that have sent notes and well wishes. We've had dinners brought and problems handled for us. And I will never be able to thank everyone properly for all that they have done. But I will make sure and thank God for all of the wonderful people he has surrounded us with.

3. Church. It has been overwhelming to hear and see the number of people that have been praying for our family throughout this time. We have a really great church with people of all ages who truly care about those that they come in contact with. It's amazing to hear that a women's bible study spent time praying for Evan and our family as he went through treatment. And oh the food! They kept us fed when the last thing I was worried about was cooking. And for our church and its people, I am forever thankful.

4. Health insurance. I know that this is the greatest debate to ever hit Congress. But in my opinion, we are so very blessed to have insurance. It might not be the cheapest or the best, but good grief it has been one part of this whole journey that I have not had to worry about.

5. Good bosses. Evan's boss and my boss have been pretty cool about everything that has been going on. There have been so many appointments and times when we have been away from work. But both of them have really allowed us to do what we need to, when we need to. And it has been so nice to not have to stress out about work when we stress out are already stressing out about medical stuff. So again, I am thankful for good jobs and caring bosses.

6. My sweet little family. We have an angel for a daughter and a fun-loving sweet little son. They keep all of this very real for us. They are the reason that each day we fight harder to make sure all is well. They make us smile, they make life worth it all. They love Jesus and you can see it in them. They give us challenges but the rewards are not measurable. We love our babies and I thank God so much for allowing us to parent so neat little people.

And of course I am married to the greatest man ever. Who in my opinion has done the best he can to keep life as normal as possible right now. He has a sweet spirit a good attitude and is as positive as ever about life in general. And that's pretty amazing. And for him I am forever thankful and not worthy.