30 Days!?!

Wow, 30 days until we depart. 30 days. So much to do, such a crazy time! This has been our most challenging assignment for a variety of reasons and I have sincerely struggled with our purpose here. I know God is in California. Duh. I know He wouldn't have sent us here unless he needed us to be here and walk through this time in our life. Double duh. But wow, to have 30 days left and not be able to discern what purpose we served can be a bit disorienting. I was sharing these thoughts with a friend recently and she shared a verse from Ephesisans that solidyified so much within me.

For this reason, take up all the armor that God supplies. Then you will be able to take a stand during these evil days. Once you have overcome all obstacles, you will be able to stand your ground. Ephesisans 6:13

What an important reminder that though His plans and sight are so much greater than ours that we are still called to put on the full armor of God and sometimes just to simply stand.

Thank you Jesus! So I'm about 3/4 of the way ready for that big truck to make it's way into my driveway and to have complete strangers begin to load all of my wordly possessions onto it. Underwear drawer not withstanding. Cabinets are cleaned out, storage is organized, yard sale pile is ever growing, ya know. The standard. It's a bit of a well oiled machine by this point but those last few days and last minute errands still have a way of rising up and biting you in the booty. So for now, I will remain highly caffenated, put on my armor and PCS like nobodys biness.

These 2 are 7!

Wow, as I type that 7...cannot believe it has been 7 years since these two made their rousing entrance into this world. We had 3 kids on May 11th, 2002 at 2:00 in the afternoon and enjoyed it so much we decided to go ahead and have another 6 minutes later. Good times! So before I go and get too old I really should right down their how you came to be story. So here goes!

Jason and Jordan were 3 & 4 when I felt a pull on my heart that four just might be our number. We decided to try for another two 12 months apart like J and J and well, the rest is history. I found out we were going to have two when I was 15 weeks pregnant I walked into the doctors office for my normally scheduled checkup, he casually mentioned I was looking a little big for 15 weeks but as all of us mommies know you seem to get bigger faster with each subsequent pregancy so I didn't think too much of it. Mr. Doctor Man scheduled an ultrasound for the following Friday, one week from that day to "check my dates." Bonus! Early ultrasound I thought! A few of his words seems to float in and out of my mind during that week while waiting, things like, looking big, and "well, there's one heartbeat..." as if alluding to more, though he never said the word twins I began to wonder. But as I was well aware...OTHER people have twins...I most certainly do not. That was completely foreign to me, there are no twins in our family, this was a pregnancy not assisted by any fertility meds, twins?! No way.

So ultrasound Friday arrives, and lookie loo, TWO babies. Gasp! Long story shorter...I cried for 3 days. Both tears of joy, tears of sadness as I thought I would be so overwhelmed I wasn't going to enjoy it, fear for their well being, and mostly I would say a giant feeling of how the heck do I do this. How on Earth do you care for two babies? How do you nurse two babies? How do you go anywhere with two babies? And the all important how do you sleep with two babies? John was deployed to the middle of nowhere as this was 3 months after 9/11 so I decided to wait one more week for him to come home so that I could tell him in person. Here is what happened as told by the newspaper crew from PA that showed up when they heard:

It was a great day.

So fastforward a few months later and at 37 weeks and 1 day by induction these two made their appearance after a whole lotta this:



Look who showed up






at 6pds 4 oz, and



5pds 14oz respectively.

Our lives have never been the same and in the beginning it looked pretty much like this:


And a whole lotta dis:



Watching them grow up together these past 7 years has been a joy like no other.













Thank you to all of my friends who in those early days brought me dinner, folded my laundry, cleaned my kitchen and took the older two out for fun. You will always be a blessing to me and I will not ever forget the love that you poured out on us.

John and I are so blessed with each of our boys and continually thank God for his structuring of our family. They will always have each other, they are best friends and share a bond like no other. And how humbling that the God of the universe would entrust 4 young men into our care that we may raise them up in His love like no other. Thank you, thank you, thank you Jesus. I love you boys! Happy 7th Birthday!