Full. Very Full.

Oh my. Yall are entering at your own risk today. It’s bday week. Which means this mama’s denial is at it’s peak… as are my emotions. Glory. I’ll try to keep it together… I promise.

First off, let's address what happened to my blog in my absence. Oh The Mister. What a sweet sweet man. Our relationship isn’t perfect… but it is such an encouragement to look back on this year and see how much we BOTH have grown. What a joy to be doing life beside that man.  And because I know you’re wondering… Yes… He’ll be making more appearances in the future.  ;) I think we could use a lil more male influence on here…

Alright… back to this week.  Welllllllllll… Babies and I went to my homeland this past week and the girls learned how to do this.

That’s right. They’re standing. Without help. While holding something.

Not ok.

I really did want to push them down… but the grandparents wouldn’t let me… alas the twinsies stand now. I think once they start walking I must face the fact that they are toddlers. But until then… I’m still in denial. They’re just really advanced newborns – that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I promise that after this birthday I’ll finally get over it and this blog won’t consist of posts entirely about my denial. But I still have a few more precious hours of denial and I'm going to enjoy them.

So last night the Mister and I had a date night and left the girls with my parents – and can I just tell you… we needed that. We hadn’t done that in a while and we just needed to take some time to catch up. We spent part of our evening talking about what the last year has held. It is crazy to think that this time last year, I was 30 weeks pregnant on hospital bed rest attempting to bake these babies to 34 weeks. What’s even more crazy is that they were born… completely healthy at 31 weeks.

It’s just absurd to see how the Lord provided so many things for us during that season. From having our friend, who happens to be a birth doula, Marissa walk in my hospital room at the exact time I went down hill and found out we were having the babies that night…. To having a Summit church member be assigned our girls in the NICU that first night when I couldn’t be with them. Our imperfect birth couldn’t have been more perfect.  And I don’t believe in coincidences. So I know that every good and perfect gift comes from above – and having those people in the right place at the right time were good gifts.

Then I think back to my mom and mil getting up with me every 3 hrs to pump while the girls were in the hospital. And the countless nights all the grandparents took shifts while we were still sleep training so I could actually catch a few hours of sleep before I had to feed them again… and I’m overwhelmed again with gratitude.

And then I think about the nurses, lactation consultants, the neonatologists that took such great care of our littles and were so kind to me during such a stressful time… and I am literally tearing up at the thought of each of them. So so grateful.

Pretty much… you’re looking at a mama who is completely and entirely overwhelmed with thankfulness for all that the Lord has provided and for the people that He used to minister to us.

My heart is full.  Really full.

I guess the reality is, their first birthday isn’t just a birthday. It’s a milestone, and not just for us, but it’s a milestone for many who are so dear to our hearts.  Because we honestly couldn’t have survived this year without many of you.

So this Saturday isn’t just a birthday party. It’s a celebration of our girls’ lives, sure. But it’s also a celebration of family, community, and God’s good gifts this past year.

So with that… we’re headed to the lake with a minivan full of family, 150 hot dogs, a bday wreath, and two happy healthy babies. It’s time to celebrate yall…

See you on the flip side with pics of the extravaganza!

Much love,