RevMomof3

Easter Sunday

2010-05-01T23:44:00.003-04:00

Sara, Henry, and Emily with Grandmother

I am sad to say that on Easter Sunday, I actually didn't get to attend church. While eating breakfast and getting ready for worship, Sara got a little sick. I am blaming the queasy tummy on the two boiled eggs she ate yesterday afternoon after playing egg hunt with them most of the day making them on the rather warm side!

She was fine once it was out of her system and promised that she could go to church. She even ate a Chocolate Easter Bunny from her Easter basket (thanks to Ben). But knowing that other moms would not appreciate the chance of a sick child in childcare on Easter Sunday, I stayed at home with her.

Ben, Henry and Emily went to church with Ben's parents. After worship, they came back and picked us for lunch. And yes, Sara was fine- she ate a huge lunch. Despite missing worship, the day was beautiful!

Easter Egg Hunt

2010-05-01T22:41:00.009-04:00

Going into Easter, I was filled with mixed emotions. You see, this was our first Easter in Greenville. My first Easter not working since 1999. Our first family Easter away from Providence. And actually, our first Easter without a church home. We don't have a church home in Greenville yet, I don't know if it is from lack of trying or just plan still grieving and missing our Providence family. We are actively trying to find a church home, just nothing quite feels like it fits our family yet.

Since we don't have a church home, we decided to go visit the in-laws in High Point, NC. Their church had an Easter egg hunt for the little ones on Saturday morning. It was a beautiful day and the kids loved being at Grandmother and Granddaddy's church (not to mention how much they LOVED hunting Easter Eggs).

After the hunt, Grandmother had the kids all dye eggs and hide them around the yard for lots and lots of Easter Egg hunting. Ben's brother and his family came to visit also, making it a truly wonderful Easter weekend!

Henry

Sara searching for eggs

Emily and her basket

Henry walking with his Daddy

Grandmother and Granddaddy helping to sort the eggs!

Henry and Emily checking to see who got the better candy!

Emily, Sara and Henry

My little man

Sweet girls

We love Grandmother and Granddaddy!

Circus

2010-05-01T22:21:00.004-04:00

Ben's company supports the Shriners so we got free tickets to the Shiner's circus in Greenville! The kids may be a bit too young or we may have been sitting too far up, but we only lasted through the first half of the show. In fact, the moment we sat down, Henry climbed in Ben's lap and said I want to go home. I guess that should have been a clue that we weren't in for the long haul!

It was fun despite leaving early. The girls loved it, especially when we got to go down during intermission and be close to the ponies, bears and elephants. Of course, we didn't splurge for the pony ride, but no one minded.

Henry on Daddy's lap saying I want to go home.

Sara enjoying the circus!

Emily was surprised by something, but I don't actually know what...

This is Ben's grin and bear it smile which is saying "how much longer do we have to stay?"

Can you see the bear?

They had this bear for photo opps during intermission.
We decided against standing next to him!

All smiles!

Laughing and Dancing

Sara's black eye

2010-05-01T22:05:00.004-04:00

One day in late March, the kids ventured next door, which is not uncommon as we have wonderful next door neighbors who have a son a year older than the twins. We love spending time with them and our kids run back and forth through the back yards to see each other and play.

On this particular day, Sara and Henry took off for a round swing that hangs on a rope in the back of the yard. It's broken and kids are not allowed to play on it, but my children did not know this. And the swing is too high for them to actually get on. So they were swinging it back and forth and all of a sudden... bam! The swing went right into Sara's left eye. Poor thing had a swollen eye even before we could walk next door. She was a brave one and only cried for a few minutes, but I know it must have hurt something awful!

The day of...

Swollen!!!

All purple the day after...

A Flitterbugs Giveaway

2010-04-29T19:58:00.004-04:00

Clothes by Flitterbugs

Many friends have asked where I get my kids' cute clothes. I must be honest and say that most are presents from family or hand me downs. Occasionally though, I make a purchase when I find something super cute and not too expensive.

One of the clothing lines I stumbled across is called Flitterbugs. Julie handmakes ALL the clothes. They aren't too expensive. AND all the proceeds go toward their adoption process! What could be better? Cute clothes and helping a family bring an unwanted child into a happy home!

Right now, through Friday noon, Flitterbugs is offering a giveaway of one item or initial tee. Click here to enter!!!

Exploration Class Sharing

2010-04-21T11:20:00.006-04:00

The girls began taking a heater class at the Greenville Children's Theater this February. It was a ten week class where the kids learned all about theater through exploration, play and movement. The class was taught by Ms. Tracie whom the girls LOVED. They looked forward to going every week.

On the fifth class, each child was able to dress up in a costume and perform in front of an audience (the parents and siblings).

The girls getting ready

Emily chose to be a princess. Her name was Belle and her beast friend was the Beast! She twirled and danced in front of everyone!!!

Here comes Emily, I mean Belle!

Emily and Ms. Tracie

Emily dancing

Sara was the fairy Godmother who waved her wand and performed spells. In the words of Sara, the fairy Godmother says "Bippily, Boppily, Boo"

Sara and Ms. Tracie

Saying she was a Fairy Godmother

Waiting on her wand

The class takes a bow

Henry hugging Emily

Henry was so proud of his sisters!

Emily and Sara

Henry, Emily and Sara

Reading Time

2010-04-21T11:07:00.003-04:00

Just a fun night when Ben got to spend some time with just Sara and Emily since Henry was already asleep.

Emily

Sara

READING TIME!!!

Snow Day!!!

2010-04-21T09:50:00.006-04:00

We had a great snow on Feb. 13. The kids had a blast playing, making snow angels, building a snowman, eating snow cream and more. Enjoy the fun pics of our kids and house covered in snow!

Sara

Emily making a snow angel

Henry

Building a snow man

Here's our cute little snow man!

And then...

No more snowman!

Oh well, they knocked the head off!

Sara and Emily playing in the snow

Sara playing on the snow covered table

Our playset covered in snow!

Henry trying to uncover the slide

without much luck!

Henry and Emily

Emily

Henry

Santa gifts

2010-04-21T08:53:00.004-04:00

Checking out gifts from Santa!!!

Henry with a Buzz and Woody!!!

Sara.. so excited!!!

Sara's gifts from Santa

Emily's gifts from Santa

Henry's gifts from Santa

New play kitchen!!!

Art Easel

The Neal Family Christmas

2010-04-21T08:27:00.005-04:00

Here are all six Neal grandkids. Trying to get a great picture of all of them is hard to do, but they still are cute.

Ford- age 5, Witt- age 8, Ellie- age 7
Emily- age 4, Henry- age 2, Sara- age 4

For some reason, Henry was NOT happy about pictures and just wanted to go back inside.

We spent Christmas Eve in Columbia with my family. All the cousins enjoy playing together and had so much fun with presents! Before heading back to Greenville, we even went to my sister's church for Christmas Eve service where Uncle Andy sang and Cousin Witt played a shepard.

Emily and Sara with cousin Ellie

Henry with his cousins Witt and Ford

Emily and Sara

Henry

Witt helping Henry with his new Mickey Mouse train

Now that it is spring...

2010-04-21T07:51:00.005-04:00

I thought it would be time to finally post some pictures from Christmas, snow, etc. I am so far behind!!! Hope to get caught up with pictures this week so I can actually post some current news and blogworthy stories. With three toddlers in the house, I do have some great stories to share!

Christmas Pictures

The Cox family Christmas was in High Point the weekend before Christmas.

Sara, Henry and Emily

Peek-a-boo with Henry

Cousin Ann teaches Sara how to knit

Sara with the new ironing board!

Opening gifts from Granddaddy

Sara and Ann

Cousin Bryan and Henry

Where Have I Been?

2010-04-13T09:29:00.002-04:00

It has been almost 4 months since my last post. How is that possible? I thought I would have more time on my hands to update regularly now that I am a SAHM, but it seems that now my time is eaten up in different ways. And that is a good thing!

The family is loving Greenville, specifically we LOVE our new home. The kids each have their own bedrooms. I hope to post pictures of those soon. With each in their own room, bedtime is no longer a struggle, but a time for the kids to be in their own room with no one else. Henry has been stubborn about moving out of his crib, but has slept in his big boy bed for the past two nights and is now telling me to take his crib down. I guess that needs to be added to my to do list.

I will be posting pics soon, but now I am heading outside to enjoy the beautiful day with the kids, maybe pull some weeds and continue my pressure washing project! (I am pressure washing the playset and deck and plan to stain them later this week)

Going diving

2009-12-23T16:00:00.002-05:00

This was an email I sent to Ben last week who asked me to put it up on the blog as he thought it was hilarious. Hope you enjoy and can empathize with the ever growing sea of boxes with which I am exploring through daily.

"I just went diving...

Through a sea of boxes in our garage. While plundering through box #1, I located our windstream modem and the instructions to my camera. This made me think the wireless would be there since that was office equipment, but when I hit the bottom, no such luck.

So I swam over other boxes and climbed over rails to reach yet another box that read storage misc. Maybe this would be it! What did I find- an unopened stapler, the box for my OLD camera, and more office supplies. But no wireless modem. Ugh!

So then I viciously attacked the largest non-bedding box, literally falling in with only my feet kicking out. At this point, Henry walks out with his southern "mommy whacha dooooiiiinnnggg?".

After throwing out every kid safe equipment we own, except the much needed door safety knobs of course, discovering our camcorder, I was about to give up when something caught the light at the bottom of the box and hope filled inside me as I saw it... Wedged between a Noah's Ark trash can, a tapestry hanging and some stuffed animals.

I shout for joy! We have wireless!!!

Well, it isn't hooked up yet, but I did find it!"

And for those of you who actually read through this... our wireless is now hooked up and I am typing this from our computer in the living room while the modem and wireless are safe in our bedroom. Ah the simple things that make me happy!

Decorating the Christmas Tree

2009-12-23T14:23:00.004-05:00

We have a fake tree that already has the lights built in and for that I am grateful. Although the top of the trees lights don't work and some of the bottom lights are out also, I am really not worried or stressed about this as the tree is about the only thing in our house that is actually together. Moving three weeks before Christmas with three toddlers simply means that Christmas and the next couple months will be spent unpacking boxes and unloading the boxes the kids decide to pack after they were empty. It is a long road ahead to make the house be home. And it seems that the to do list and things we need grows longer daily, BUT in the midst of that, I did manage to find time to decorate the tree.

Well, I had three (make that four helpers)- my kids and a very curious cat. I had the bright idea of having the kids help with decorating the tree and it really was a good idea. Except I forgot that the plastic ornaments I bought after Christmas last year were on the bottom of the ornament box. So, we proceeded to decorate with all the sweet, more fragile, sentimental ornaments we have collected over the years.

And yes, many were broken. But luckily, I broke the first ornament went meant I couldn't scold or be mad at anyone else. I must say that I think my curious cat Cali has broken the most ornaments as she decides every night to crawl through the tree and undecorate it. This means things to do in the morning as we go on scavenger hunts for the ornaments the cat played with throughout the night!

All I can say is that no matter how messy or how silly our tree may look, we are together as a family. And it is a Christmas that we get to spent just enjoying each other. (It is the first time in 11 years that I haven't been in a Christmas Eve service in some way. And this will be the first time my family gets to go to a Christmas Eve service TOGETHER!)

Emily

Henry

Sara

Cali

Our tree...

Sara and Emily turn FOUR!!!

2009-12-23T10:31:00.004-05:00

On Sunday, December 13,we celebrated the twins fourth birthday!! I cannot believe they are four. It was a small gathering with only our immediate family and the grandparents. But it was the first birthday celebration in our new home! The kids love the house and we do also.

Sara and Emily blow out birthday candles

Emily enjoying the yummy cake made by Grandmother!

Sara loved the cake

Sara

Henry

Emily

Em and Mamaw

Sara with Grandmother and Granddaddy

Picture with Santa!

2009-12-03T10:27:00.004-05:00

Sara, Henry, Emily with Santa

This is a preview of our Christmas Card this year!

Yesterday, since it was pouring outside and we all were going stir crazy in our tiny apartment, I took the kids to the mall. I know... 3 toddlers to the mall! Crazy idea, huh? We started off at Chic fil a, where the kids chowed down and I learned there was a Showmars in the food court. I texted Ben to let him know about the Showmars and he quickly proclaimed that it was the best day of his life. Ha, ha! But of course, we had to have some Showmars last night and we both said NOW Greenville feels like home. Oh, how I have been missing some Showmars!

Anyway, after the food court, we went downstairs to find the fun toddler play area so the kids could get some energy out. And on the way, who should we see- SANTA! And Santa had no line!!! So, even though I didn't have the kids decked out in Christmas gear or even dressed all alike, we quickly scooted in and had the kids sit with Santa. The picture turned out so cute and will be turned into our Christmas cards!

After the Santa excitement, the kids were turned loose in the play area and had a BLAST. Thank you Haywood mall for having a great indoor space for kids to play for FREE!

Flitterbugs

2009-12-02T09:27:00.006-05:00

As some of you may know, I am trying my best to learn to sew. But being in a teeny apartment and about to move, sewing has been SLOW going. I hope to start back after the New Year (and probably after boxes are unpacked) so in the meantime, I am finding FUN, FUN handmade items.

As we turn to buying Christmas presents and other gifts from people wouldn't it be great to find items that are giving to a cause or raising money for a cause. If we are going to be spending money anyway then we might as well help others in the process. There are many many worthy causes out there, but these next few people are all raising money for adoptions. Please take the time to read through and click on their blogs or shops and considering buying some of your gifts from them.

First, I have mentioned my friend Leigh a bunch. Be sure to check out her blog every Monday for a Making a Difference Monday post. She has some great resources for buying and supporting local people for good causes. She will also be hosting some really sandal parties after the new year. Trying to decide if I can host one or not...

Second, I will start with my new friend Julie, she and her husband are the parents of three beautiful children here in the US and one precious one waiting for them in Ethiopia. Julie and her husband have about 80 days now to raise over $7000!!!

Julie makes fabulous little girls dresses and clothes. It would be the perfect gift or you can get your own daughter a beautiful Christmas dress now. She custom makes ALL the outfits.

Check out Flitterbug SUPER CUTE!!!

Here are the outfits Julie custom made for Sara and Emily... and under that are just a few other tempting items!

A New Giveaway!

2009-12-01T16:19:00.002-05:00

Handmade recess is offering giveaways for the first three days of this week! Be sure to check them out...

http://handmaderecess.blogspot.com/

Beginning next Monday, November 30th, three days of giveaway goodness will arrive to kick off the holiday season. Each day I will offer one fun handmade recess item up. Want to know what she'll be giving away? It's a surprise. But I bet it will be good. Spread the word. Browse the etsy shop.

Enjoy!!!

2009-11-10T12:58:00.005-05:00

October 29 was a beautiful, crisp fall day so I took the kids to the zoo to actually see the animals since all the animals were "asleep" during boo in the zoo. Of course, I dressed the kids all alike in their favorite owl outfits. And everyone I met wanted to know if they were triplets. Although there is an 18 1/2 month difference between the twins and Henry, they are all the same height now and Henry has passed them in some clothing sizes!

Sara and Emily

Henry

Looking at our favorite animal- the elephant.

Sara giving Henry a hug!

Playing in front of the waterfall.

Sitting on the bear for pictures!

I really think Emily looks like Ben in this picture.
Emily, Henry and Sara

They couldn't LIVE without these monkeys. I think the zoo should have given them to us because everyone who saw the kids wearing them wanted to know if we got them in the zoo gift shop (which we did). People went and bought their own because of my kids wearing them all around. Sara and Henry never even took them off when we were playing in the zoo playground! Too funny!

Sara

Emily

Henry

Sara and Henry

Sara

Henry

Emily

Boo in the Zoo

2009-11-10T11:28:00.008-05:00

A couple weeks before Halloween, the Greenville Zoo hold a Boo in the Zoo event for the kids. They get to go trick or treating through the zoo. It was the perfect low key Halloween adventure for our three. And it was the only trick or treating they did this year since we are in an apartment complex. The weather was a bit chilly and rainy, but that did not stop us from having so much fun! The girls were Fairy Princesses and Henry was a pirate. He walked around saying "Arrr" to everyone instead of trick or treat. Very cute!

Hope you enjoy the fun pictures!!!

Celebrating with cousin Ford

2009-11-10T11:12:00.003-05:00

We went to Columbia for the last weekend in September and were able to share in Ford's birthday celebration! He is now 5 years old! I truly cannot believe that. The kids had so much fun playing with their BIG cousins and Mawmaw and Popa

Mawmaw with Henry

Poppa with Henry

Ellie helping Emily with her shoes

Sara and the blow up birthday cake

The girls swinging

Henry loves playing with his cousin Ford!

Blog Background

2009-10-16T10:37:00.000-04:00

Okay-
For those of you who visit this blog regularly, you will notice that I have changed the background quite a bit lately. I am trying to find one that I really like and that fits this season. I had a really cute one on with just words about fall like football, family, friends, thanksgiving, but it just wasn't working for me. So, I am going with a more fall look with the pretty colors of orange, red, brown and green.
Maybe I will be able to keep this background until winter... we'll see.

On a side note, hoping and praying that the rain holds off tonight as we are supposed to be going to "Boo in the Zoo" with the kids. I promise some cute pictures if we are able to go!!!

House update

2009-10-14T09:32:00.000-04:00

The potential buyers are moving at a snail's pace! They had set a date in November for closing, but haven't decided to move forward and accept the counter. Apparently, the husband wants to build while the wife wants our house. (Prayers that the wife wins this argument!) So, we are back to being patient and hopeful. We have the house up for sale as well as up to rent, so we will see which happens first. My prayer is to sell it so we can move forward. I will keep you posted!

Giveaway Week #5 has begun!

2009-10-14T09:29:00.002-04:00

Like what you see? Cute jewelry, children's gifts, an ipod touch, and so much more!!! Giveaway Week #5 has begun! Click the button below and enter to win some of these fabulous gifts!!!

A prayer and a giveaway

2009-10-09T17:02:00.000-04:00

It's Friday!!! Internet is up and running, but no pictures today- sorry!

It has been a long, stressful week. I didn't realize how stressed I was until my husband said that I wasn't acting like myself. I am anxious about the house selling. I can't quite wrap my head around whether I am sad that the house is selling, frustrated that we will love mucho money when we sell, or stressed that the buyers have STILL not gotten back in touch about our counter. And we gave them our counter on TUESDAY!!! Seriously... I am ready to know one way or another- will this offer work out or will we need to have patience to wait on another offer.

So, I am needing prayers. Prayers that something, anything will happen this weekend. (And may it be that we are locked into a contract!) And a prayer that I will let go of the stress and actually sleep. I can't sleep when my mind is wondering and so these past few nights I have been wide eyed. And of course, when you are sleep deprived, you are no good to your kids.

And I need some other prayers, not for myself, but for my friends Leigh and Gray Ladd. I have posted about them several times over the past few weeks, but today, after reading her blog, I wanted to share once more. Leigh and Gray set out many months ago to adopt a child from Ethiopia. Following their call from God, they began the adoption process and are in full swing of trying to raise their initial fees. At the end of last week, they thought that $5000 more would do it. But God has a way of changing things around when we least expect it right? At a conference on adoption, Leigh and Gray heard God calling loud and clear that they were to open their home to not one child, but to two children! Amazing, yes! Scary, yes! And so now, they must come up with close to $8000 in the next couple of weeks. Prayers please for the Ladds, for their family, for the children they seek to adopt and for those around the world who are supporting them in prayer, financial donations and giveaway donations. The Ladds feel strengthened by all the support, but $8000 is still a daunting number!

For her full story, jump on over to her blog http://leigh-onedayatatime.blogspot.com/
And after reading the blog, please, please join in praying for the Ladds and if you are able to support them financially, donate to the giveaways posted on http://bringingourbabyhome-onedayatatime.blogspot.com/

More later...

house

2009-10-06T21:36:00.000-04:00

For those of you know that we have been trying to sell our house, we have an offer on it! Finally! We put the house up on the market in February. With no offers by July, we took it off in order to pack up, move, paint and put some new carpets in. We decided at that point to try at rent it.
Well, after 3 months of trying to rent it, we decided to put it back on the market last week. It was kind of a least push, let's rent or sell, whichever comes first.
We had our first offer tonight! It is low, but at this point we will take low in order to get out of it and let that burden go. We did counter and now it is just a matter of waiting to see if that is accepted.
Please join us in prayer that it will be, that we will come up with the money to cover our loss and we will be able to fully start our life here in Greenville.

On an aside note, we will have internet up and running by Friday so I will be able to post pictures again!!! Hooray!

Auction, Bed switch, internet and more

2009-09-29T22:08:00.000-04:00

Since moving into the apartment, we have been able to pick up internet from our wireless, but it isn't working now. I am on Ben's computer to write this blog and say who knows when I will be able to update pictures.

For those of you following, you all know that we have had some bed issues with the kids. Well, this weekend we stayed with my parents in Columbia and the kids were all in the same room. Surprisingly, it went so smoothly! Henry goes to sleep first and once asleep, the twins will head in there. As long as Emily has a flashlight, she is fine with no lamp on!

So, what did I do when we got home on Monday? I moved Henry's bed into the girls room. Henry's room is now a playroom. The kids LOVE it and I love all the toys in one room. And really no more bedtime fights. How long will it last? Who knows? But I like it now!

For those of you who follow my blog, you have read about Leigh a lot lately. I was able to visit with her this weekend and hear her passion about adopting a little girl from Africa. She has some great auction items going on and if you haven't checked them out yet, you NEED to this week. There are some AWESOME things up to win! Entries are $5.00, get 6 for $25.00. The button for the auction is on the right. "Bringing our Baby Home"

Bedtime Update

2009-09-25T20:08:00.000-04:00

So it would seem that my children decided to change our bedtime routine all on their own. And for the better!! Four nights ago, Sara decided that she wanted to sleep in Henry's room. Knowing that Emily and Sara keep each other up when they are together, we said go for it! Ever since then, Henry goes to bed. Sara and Emily will play for a little while and then Sara goes and climbs into Henry's big boy bed (Henry is still in a crib so this works quite well).

All is well with Sara and Henry. They are asleep by 7:30 and sleep through the night.

Now Emily is another story- light must be on, door cracked, need food, water, more food.
So it is up down up down up down. Stories don't help. If you try to lay down with her, she talks nonstop. She isn't fussy or crying, just can't fall asleep. She usually will give it up by 9:30 or 10, but crawls in bed with us around 2ish.

Oh well, it is better. There isn't a struggle between the girls and Ben and me.

And tonight, it is a little after 8. Sara and Henry are peacefully sleeping and Emily is tucked in snug in her bed looking at books. Perhaps she will fall asleep before 9 tonight?

One can dream...

Awesome Giveaway... awesome cause

2009-09-24T00:20:00.001-04:00

When you have a few minutes, mosey on over to the blog above and register to win some awesome giveaway/raffle prizes. Each entry makes you one step closer to winning some fabulous prizes, and also makes Leigh & Gray one step closer to bringing home (adopting) their sweet baby girl, MG.

Entries are $5.00 each, get 6 for $25.00!

Stop by, help the Ladds bring home MG, and win some fabulous prizes!

Time to go to bed...

2009-09-21T10:06:00.000-04:00

"The bed is a bundle of paradoxes: we go to it with reluctance, yet we quit it with regret; we make up our minds every night to leave it early, but we make up our bodies every morning to keep it late." ~Charles Caleb Colton

I need some advice on how to help my twins go to sleep at a decent time. These girls have never really liked to go to sleep, but lately it is like a slumber party every night in their room! They go to their room around 8 every night, but neither one will give it up until around 9:30 or 10:00 pm! I am worn out from night time battles.

Luckily, our little guy Henry is a sound sleeper. He goes down around 7:30 and I usually don't hear a peep from him until after 8 am the next day.

But the girls... since they don't go to sleep early, they sleep in usually until 9:30 or 10:00! Now I don't mind the extra sleep in the mornings, but I would rather have a full day with them than the night drama!

I call it drama because it is... one excuse after the other. "I'm thirsty" "I'm hungry" "I want to play" "I need this stuffed animal and this one and this one" "where's such and such" and the list goes on.

I think this would all change if the girls had separate rooms (or maybe then it would be a battle because they want to be together.) However, in our little 3 room apartment, they must share a room.

Any advice out there on how to get them to go to sleep at a decent hour?

Houlie Cousins Visit

2009-09-19T15:07:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, we had a wonderful visit from Grandmother and Granddaddy and the kids' cousins Elizabeth and Claire. Ben's parents had been to visit in Atlanta because Claire and Elizabeth's older brother Patrick is very sick.

He was admitted to the hospital in Atlanta on Thursday night and so far the doctors have not been able to determine the cause of Patrick's symptoms. He is very weak and can barely walk. His appetite is very low and he has had no energy for almost 4 weeks. They thought for awhile it was Lyme's disease because Patrick had several ticks on him, but all the tests for that have come back negative. Since in the hospital, he has had a cat scan and MRI, all which praise God have been negative.

Please join me in praying for God's healing presence with Patrick and that God will help the doctors determine a course of action to restore health to Patrick.

In order to allow Patrick's parents to be with him, Ben's parents are taking care of Claire and Elizabeth for a few days in High Point. We are grateful that they were able to stop by and visit with us despite the circumstances.

Claire, Emily and Grandmother

Cousin Claire

Elizabeth reads a book to Sara and Emily

Granddaddy reads a book to Elizabeth and Sara

Wish you could have heard him sing!!!

I tried to get a picture of all 5, but needless to say none turned out quite right.
Oh well!
Elizabeth with Emily on her lap, Henry and Sara on Claire's lap

I am in LOVE

2009-09-19T14:49:00.005-04:00

With a little boy named Zachary who makes me smile and laugh and thank God for the gift of life.

I am so grateful that I have had the joy of watching this little boy grow from the moment he was born prematurely. He has grown into a sweet, loveable 3 year old who teaches his family and those around him how to be a better person.

Being away friends like Zachary and his family is one of the hard parts about moving, but we were so blessed with a visit from Zachary and his mother Vicki last week. The kids had such a good time and cannot wait to play with Zach again. And I had such a wonderful visit with my friend Vicki, whose relationship I miss dearly as we used to see each other every day at the preschool.

Thank goodness for friends who keep in touch. We are now planning on another visit from Zachary and Vicki and hopefully Amelia and Daniel (Zachary's siblings) will be able to join in our fun! And of course this now means, the Cox crew needs to plan a visit to Charlotte soon to spend time with friends like these. I miss you all!

Isn't he a cutey!

Zachary, Emily and Henry

Playing in the wagon

Cute little smile!

Zachary, Sara, Emily and Henry

Vicki pulling the kids

Maybe it is Sara that is in love with Zachary?

Zachary's turn to pull the kids

All 75 pounds of them!

Henry is getting so big

2009-09-19T14:36:00.003-04:00

It is hard to imagine that my little boy is over 2 years old! He is doing so much these days. Henry thinks he is as big as the girls and in size he is! He weighs more than his sister and is barely an inch shorter that Sara. And I notice yesterday his feet are bigger than the girls!

These pictures were taken and Ben's parents. I thought they were so cute and really shows Henry's fun personality! He laughs all the time and is just a bundle of joy to have around.

We are so blessed with our 3 sweet, funny, energetic kids!

The Giveaway has begun

2009-09-13T22:35:00.003-04:00

Check out my friend Leigh's blog for some awesome giveaways for the next few weeks!

Who has the longest hair?

2009-09-12T10:26:00.002-04:00

I couldn't resist posting these cute pictures of Ben reading to Emily and Sara. The question in my mind- Who has the longer hair- Daddy, Sara or Emily? I didn't bother putting Henry in as a choice because he by far has the longest hair!

Daddy, Emily, and Sara

Emily is in blue and Sara in pink

Fashion Friday

2009-09-11T00:31:00.004-04:00

I have a good friend, Leigh (she is the one trying to adopt a baby from Ethiopia- check out her giveaway blog link on the side!). Leigh always does a fashion friday blog with fun things like kid clothes, earrings, dresses, etc. Well, since everyone has been asking about the twins and their hair. I thought I would do a fashion Friday based on their new do (and cover ups for the do!) More hats to come, maybe even some bows!

Let me know which one you like by commenting!

Option 1: No hat, just the short hair!

Option 2: Hats from the Children's Place

Option 3: Sweater hat shown on Sara above the ear

Option 4: Sweater hat shown on Emily pulled over the ears

A Day at the Farm

2009-09-11T00:20:00.005-04:00

Henry, Sara, Emily

This week, the kids and I spent a few days with my in-laws. Since the weather was nice, we took the kids to the family farm above Pilot Mountain for the day. They had a BLAST running all over the place, climbing in the old hay loft, helping Granddaddy with the garden, playing with Chinese money with Grandmother and being pulled in the wagon. Here are a few cute pics from our fun day!

Helping in the garden

Playing in the barn

What a face, Sara!

And Emily's silly face

Henry

Ready for a giveaway???

2009-09-11T00:06:00.003-04:00

My dear friend Leigh and her husband Gray are in the process of raising money to adopt a child from Ethiopia. They were approved for the adoption in mid-August and now have the task of raising money to bring their baby home. They are holding a great giveaway fundraiser to help raise money. You can find out more by clicking on the link below or the link to the right in my blog.

Join me in prayers for Leigh and Gray as the seek to bring their baby home. I hope you will be inspired by their journey!

Sunday after the hair incident

2009-09-06T15:16:00.004-04:00

In order to try and do something with the hair, I took the girls to Snip-its today. Thank goodness for a kid's hair salon being open on a Sunday!!! After the trauma of watching Sara's hair be cut with clippers, my nerves are now settling and I am beginning to laugh. We went by the Children's Place after the haircuts and picked up two hats for each of the girls. I am thinking lots of hats will help us make it through the fall and winter. Please send hats!!!
I know, I know, it really isn't that bad, but their hair is just so SHORT now!!! At least hair grows...

Now on the results from the haircuts!

Emily is pictured first with before, during and after shots. Apparently they didn't do as much damage to Emily as to Sara. Emily's hair was not touched in the back and when they cut it wasn't too close to the scalp.

Emily Before

Emily During

Emily After

With Sara, the girls cut deep into the sides and into the back, causing it to be harder to cut. The stylist had to break out the clippers on her!!! She also has the double cowlick thing going on in the back so I imagine most days it will be sticking up straight!

Sara Before

Sara During

Sara After

Emily and Sara

Thank you to all for your sweet notes and comments on facebook and here. Please keep the encouragement coming. And seriously, if you come across some cute hats send them my way!!

Snip Snip

2009-09-05T21:10:00.003-04:00

Oh, how I love my children! I adore the cute things they do, the way they make me laugh and smile. But tonight I don't quite know whether to laugh or cry. My girls, who have beautiful hair, took their little safety scissors and thoroughly butchered their hair tonight! You can see from past blogs and pictures how cute their hair used to be, but not so anymore!!!

Are you all ready for this???

Emily

Sara and Emily

Sara

They are so happy! Goodness!

Friday Beach

2009-09-05T18:25:00.004-04:00

There was a hammock on the top porch. The kids loved climbing in and swinging!

These pictures were taking from the porch since I stayed up the last morning to pack us up. And it was too windy to put the cabana top on.

Henry and Sara saying bye bye to the beach

Emily is not ready to go!

Grandmother finished the puzzle!

Stories were read

Daddy and Henry

Last night bedtime story!

Thursday beach

2009-09-05T18:18:00.003-04:00

Sara with Grandmother

Henry

Emily

Every year, we go on to Beck's in Calabash for dinner. And of course, a walk though Callahan's! We told the kids they could each get one thing from Callahan's. Henry chose a hummer 2 truck! And the girls chose the purple mermaids you see in the pictures below. Oh how I tried to get them to pick something else!!!

The family!

I tried to get a picture of the kids. None turned out, but here are a few of the attempts!!!

wednesday beach

2009-09-05T18:12:00.004-04:00

Ben and I got the kids a kite while at Barefoot landing. If you look closely, you can see it in the top of the first two pictures!

Emily flying the kite!

Sara in the sand

Henry in the sand, of course!

Sara and Emily

love the little mermaid

and brought their Ariels to the ocean

to play "little mermaid"

Daddy and Henry

Daddy and the kids

Tuesday Beach

2009-09-05T17:44:00.003-04:00

I don't have as many pictures from Tuesday as I stayed in through the morning. The pictures posted here are ones I took from the balcony of our house. I love my camera and long lens!!

Ben and I had our annual beach date beginning Tuesday afternoon. We went and walked around Barefoot Landing before dinner at the Parson's Table (yum!!!) After stuffing ourselves with baked brie and delicious food, we had our annual mini golf match. Ben won again this year, but only by 1 this time!!!

Monday Beach

2009-09-05T17:27:00.008-04:00

Monday started rather rough with Henry not wanting to eat at all. Thank goodness for patient Grandmother who actually fed Henry his breakfast! Silly boy!

Sara was looking out the door at the ocean wondering if would EVER go outside!

And Emily is content as can be...

We made it out the ocean and Ben spent some time jumping waves with the girls.

Henry was happy to be on the beach.

Sara and Grandmother on another walk!

Henry playing in the sand.

Daddy helping Emily jump waves

I am not sure what Emily is doing in the next two pictures...

but it looks like meditating to me!

Sara and Emily playing in the sand.

I think Emily is tired after a long day!

We ended the day with books!

Ben body surfing???

2009-09-05T17:19:00.003-04:00

I couldn't resist giving Ben his own post to show off his body board moves and classic looks!

Sunday at the beach

2009-09-05T16:47:00.005-04:00

On Monday, Granddaddy and Daddy put up the cabana so we could have some shade on the beach on week long. Sara was convinced that she had to wear her safety seal life vest all day while on the beach, even for her walks!

Grandmother and Sara went for a walk on the beach.
Henry was the first to run after her and catch up.

And then of course Emily took off down the beach after them also.

Henry

Emily

Sara

Annual Beach Trip

2009-09-05T16:26:00.004-04:00

We went to Holden Beach for the week of Aug. 22-29, 2009. This is an annual tradition for the Cox crew. And the past two years we have stayed in the same house.
The weather was wonderful! Mid-80's almost every day and rain only on Friday!
Our days were filled with time on the beach looking for seashells, jumping the waves, walks with grandmother, playing in the sand, and puzzles.

Sara and Emily often woke up before everyone else and had their bathing suits on before breakfast. We spent the mornings on the beach, early afternoon resting and usually the twins and I hit the beach again before dinner.

Henry was not a huge fan of the water this year. He would only go near it if Mommy or Daddy were with him. But he loved the sand and playing under the cabana on the beach!

Friday Excursion

2009-08-14T23:21:00.008-04:00

Okay, so it has been a month since we moved to Greenville. I cannot believe that a month has past so quickly. Still no movement on our house, which is making us anxious, but at least we are together!

One of my dreams for being a SAHM is to be able to take the kids places during the day, especially while we are in the apartment. But every morning, I seem to come up with some excuse as to not really go places. I mean sure we have gone to the apartment playground, gone on walks, to the store (especially Target and Costco), run other errands and even to get their haircut.

BUT taking three toddlers to the zoo, the park, etc, has got me a little nervous. They seem to listen well for awhile then all at once, BAM, they are off in three different directions. And I never know who to go after first.

Well, today, I decided to go for it! I laid out the hand holding rules and the "we are leaving if someone doesn't listen" rule. And off we went, to the interactive fountain at Reedy River Park.

It was better than I could have imagined. We parked close to the fountain, everyone held hands (which probably looks like a momma duck and three baby chicks all waddling together), we played, had snacks, feed the duck/pigeons. AND I even took pictures. Ah, success!!! Now I know I can take them out and about!

Playing around the train tunnel.

Emily dancing on the wall.

Sassy little Em.

Henry playing in the water.

And trying to drink as much as possible!

Sara making faces.

There's a little smile!

Let's see how well we can share our snack...

Em looks interested in what Henry has...

Sara takes it all!

And then begins to give it to the ducks and pigeons...

Watch out!!!

Emily ready to go and tired.

Not sure what he found, but I love that face!

Sara running to catch up

Look out for more of our adventures...

Henry's Cake

2009-08-06T10:40:00.003-04:00

I posted about Henry turning two, but forgot to put a picture of the cake on here. It actually isn't a cake. It is one of those puzzle cupcakes. It was fun to make and the kids loved it!

Happy Birthday Henry!

2009-08-03T14:43:00.011-04:00

Henry turned two last week on July 28, 2009. He has grown and changed so much over the past two years. I cannot imagine our life without this little boy. Here are pictures of his life thus far.

Happy Birthday Henry!!!

Just born

2 months old

3 months old

4 months old

5 months old

6 months old

7 months old

8 months old

9 months old

10 months old

11 months old

One year old

13 months old

14 months old

15 months old

16 months old

17 months old

19 months old

20 months old

21 months old

Age 2

2009-08-02T02:48:00.001-04:00

Just a test to see if I can blog from my new blackberry. I am oh so addicted to this thing!

Laurel Park, NC

2009-07-25T12:10:00.003-04:00

It is very strange for me to not work especially since as a minister my work was much more than a job. The church I served was our family's church home. It is where my kids were baptized and where they have spent most of their days. And it is home for me in the friendships and people.

So to leave the church is quite strange. Knowing now that we will as a family seek to find a church together. This will be an interesting journey for us as Ben and I have never chosen a church together. And I am not quite sure if we will find a church home that compares to PPC. And we aren't even going to attempt until the fall.

Even though leaving the church has been quite hard, the upside is that our weekends are no longer driven by my church schedule. We can actually go on weekend getaways and sleep in on Sunday. As much sleeping in as one can do with three toddlers running around!

The first weekend in June, my very first weekend not working, we went to my parents mountain place in Hendersonville, NC. Here are some of the scrapbook pages from that... The park we visited is one of my favorite places.

It has been awhile

2009-07-23T10:17:00.003-04:00

Wow! I cannot believe my last post was in APRIL!!! There has been a lot going on with our family and I just never found the time. Sorry!

Long story short...

We couldn't sell our house- sad!!! So, we are trying to rent it out. And of course, in order to do that, we had to have the whole house painted, carpets redone and cleaned, etc., etc.... too much money for a house we aren't living in!!!

We are renting an apartment in Greenville until we figure out where to go from here, but at least we are together! We moved in last week!

Greenville is going to a great place to raise our family. There is so much for the kids to do and I cannot wait to be on the adventure with him.

I am still missing my work, most especially the people, but everyday I wonder how the heck I was a fulltime minister and fulltime (single during the week) mother. I am so grateful that my husband has the ability to support our family so I can spend some of these precious years at home. Without him, it would not be possible.

Okay... I promise to post lots of pics and keep this blog updated. In the meantime, here are a few scrapbook pages of our last few months in our Matthews home.

A Day at the Park

2009-04-05T19:05:00.005-04:00

It was a gorgeous day today! The sun was shining and it hit almost 80 degrees. After a much needed nap, we all went outside to enjoy the sunshine at the park in our neighborhood. Here are some cute pictures of the kiddos blowing bubbles, climbing, sliding, jumping and just having fun!

Sara sliding

Emily on the slide

Henry on the slide

Em carefully preparing to blow bubbles

Sara blowing bubbles on the slide

Emily practicing her jump!

Henry

Sara jumping

Em and Henry sharing their bubbles

Henry playing peek a boo

On the bridge

Blowing bubbles on the bridge

Walking on the bridge

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-02T15:08:00.005-04:00

PPC had its annual Easter Egg Hunt this past Sunday. After a few days of rain, the day turned out to be sunny and the ground was dry enough to have the hunt in the cemetery. That's right, we hide the eggs in our beautiful, colonial dated cemetery. The kids of all ages have fun hunting the eggs and running through the graves. It may sound odd, but it actually is the celebration of Easter and the promise of resurrection!

Here is a picture of the cemetery filled with PPC kids and families.

Here are the kids all ready to go and find some eggs!

I was in charge of letting the kids into the cemetery.
Thankfully, I didn't get trampled by the excited kids!!

Sara and Em hunting up eggs.

Em found one!

Here is Sara hunting.

Looking for eggs with Daddy.

Emily searching.

Henry finding an egg!

Ahhh... to sleep anywhere!!!

2009-04-02T15:02:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago, Sara had a hard time falling asleep during naptime. She was up and down and up and down, but stayed in my room the whole time. She finally got quiet about the time Em and Henry woke up. We went searching for Sara to see where she was. We couldn't find her in my room, but we did find her sound asleep in my bathroom, curled up in a ball on the floor.

Here she is... sound asleep!

Emily tried to wake her up, but gave up without any success.

Even Henry couldn't wake her up!

Painting

2009-04-01T12:16:00.004-04:00

Here are some cute pictures of the kids all painting together. Henry has gotten big enough to begin doing lots of activities with his sisters. He actually thinks he is as big as they are and delights in doing all the things they do. They love sitting at their little table to color or paint together.

Henry

Sara

Emily

Valentine's Day pictures

2009-04-01T12:00:00.005-04:00

So... Valentine's Day was only a month and a half ago. Is it too late to post the pictures?

Sorry for the delay. One would think I had nothing else to do- ha, ha

Here are the girls munching on Valentines candy and still in their pajamas.

My little guy LOVED some candy hearts.

Sara was excited about all the goodies she received.

Stickers, stickers, stickers!

Here is Henry, tired from a long morning of eating candy and running around. It is nice to lounge on Daddy when he is home!

It has been way too long

2009-03-26T11:29:00.003-04:00

Yea, yea, yea... it has been over a month since I have posted. I have so many pictures and videos to upload. Just be patient with me and give me a little more time to post all of those one here. In the meantime, here is a brief update...

A lot has happened in our family over the past month.

On February 13, we put our home on the market. Our home that we have had only 13 months and our home that we love... sad! BUT it is all for good! Once we sell it, our family will be back together again and living in Greenville, SC. I get to move back to South Carolina!!! Not that I don't LOVE NC because I do, but there is just something about being born and raised in SC that makes you long to go back... as my husband says "I'm a true sandlapper."

On February 15, I announced to the session of my church our decision to move. This comes with so many conflicting emotions. I am so sad to leave PPC. It is my home in many way. It is truly a church home for our family. All 3 of my kids were baptized here, my husband in a member, and the congregation is made up of people I call friends. Yes, I am sad, but also grateful for the time I have had a PPC. This congregation has reaffirmed my call to ministry and I know that I am stronger and more faithful because of their lives.

When we leave Charlotte, I will have the opportunity to stay at home with our 3 kids! I cannot believe that God has placed this opportunity in front of us because we did not know if it would ever be financially possible. But we are hopeful for the future and excited that I will have a few years of just being a mom before the kids go off to school. Time goes so quickly!

So, we have had 3 showings so far... not too bad with the economy, but we are hopeful that spring will bring more and someone will fall in love with our home like we did!

Aside from the stress of keeping the house clean with 3 kids underfoot, there hasn't been too much excitement in the Cox house.

We had our first trip to "visit Daddy" in Greenville. It was very interesting trying to explain to the kids that we were going to visit Daddy. But they loved it and we all managed to sleep in my husband's tiny one bedroom apartment!!! Poor Henry had to sleep in his pack in play in the laundry room. Wonder if I will ever share with him all the interesting places we set up his pack in play?

Ben and I also had the opportunity to go to Las Vegas for a few days last week. My parents kept the kids so it was a nice restful trip for me. Poor Ben was actually there for work and WORK they did!!! He started some days as early as 6:30 and wasn't finished until after dinner every night. We didn't get to see much of each other, but I got to relax and had no one asking me to do ANYTHING for them. We stayed at the M Resort that just opened at the beginning of the week. I was able to take in some spa time... amazing being in a spa that has only been open for 3 weeks! How spoiled was I!!!

It was good to get back, but now I am looking at my to do list grow and grow and grow and trying to find time to fit it all in while remembering those brief days of relaxation.

That's enough for now... I will post those pics and more about the kids as soon as I can!

Snow, Attic Sale, More Snow, now 70 degrees!

2009-02-10T12:03:00.004-05:00

It has been awhile since I had time to write because I have been consumed by the attic sale at church. It is a HUGE annual event that take up all of my days for a whole week! We had it this past Saturday and as always, it was a great success. One little bump in the week was that it snowed on Wednesday causing everyone to lay low for the morning. Luckily the snow did not keep my parents from coming to pick up my kids for a few days so I could spend all of my time sorting attic sale stuff. It is fun, don't get me wrong, but oh so exhausting!
I am pleased to say that we raised about $2000 for Stop Hunger Now and over $3000 for youth missions. Hooray!!!

So that was Saturday and since then I have been resting, recuperating, cleaning, blah, blah, blah. All I want to do is sleep or go enjoy the beautiful sunshine outside. Did I mention that it has gotten to 70 degrees over the past couple of days? And yep, that is less than a week after a snow. Crazy!!!

Hope to post more later... with some pics and interested things about the kids!

Yay, Snow!

2009-01-20T12:27:00.004-05:00

Here are some videos of the kids in the snow. Sad to say that it is melting away as they nap this afternoon, but at least we got some time in the snow! We sure wish Daddy would have been here to enjoy it with us!

If you listen closely, you can hear Emily grunting as she walks.
She kind of sounds like her Daddy... LOL.

I forgot to upload the video of the kids chasing Sasha... I will try to do that later, but hear the little man Henry waking up.

SNOW DAY!!!

2009-01-20T11:12:00.008-05:00

What a day to remember!! I am sitting on the couch with my three kids crawling over me. It is snowing outside- the first snow in Charlotte in about 5 years! We have the TV on and are watching the 2009 presidential inauguration of Barack Obama. No matter what side of the political fence you fall, I think we can all say that this is a historical day in the life of our nation.

I just said to the kids... we have a new president. And Sara's response was "what kind of a new president?" Not sure how to answer that question to a 3 year old. Any suggestions?

I don't know where we as a nation are heading, nor do I even care to comment, but I hope and pray that my life will continue to be filled with days like this... days full of laughter, hot chocolate, kids playing in snow, and heart felt memories. I, as many others, are anxious about the days and months ahead of us, but I rest assured that God is and will continue to provide for my family.

OK- enough of my babbling... here are some great pictures of the kids playing in the snow. We enjoyed it! I hope to upload a flip video of them chasing our cat Sasha later this afternoon... it was mighty humoreous!

Here are the twins testing out their boots is the snow.

A little braver...

No fear from Henry... he ran right in!

Sara

Emily

Henry

Emily

What a sweet hug!!!

Emily hugging Henry

Sara feeling for snowfall.

Henry's first fall in the snow.

He didn't like the snow on his hands...
I think we need gloves!

Henry and Sara

Emily's shake off the snow boots dance

And Sara's dance

Playing well

2009-01-09T13:34:00.003-05:00

Here are some sweet pictures of all three kids playing well together yesterday.

It isn't too often that all three will sit and play. Usually, Henry is buddied up with one of the girls while someone plays alone or the girls are together while Henry plays alone.
It is a sweet moment when I find all three so content and enjoying each other.

Henry

Sara

Emily pretending to be sad... she really wasn't.

Sharking it!!!

2009-01-09T13:18:00.004-05:00

In our house, shark has become a verb referring to vacuuming with our handy dandy shark. Many thanks to my friend Frances for introducing us to the shark! My kids love it, as do I. Henry especially enjoys pretending to clean and helping Mommy.

2008 in review

2009-01-08T16:52:00.009-05:00

Okay- so I have been slack about blogging, but I went out of town right after New Year's to a college conference at Montreat. The kids did not go with me so I haven't had any news to report from them. This week is mainly maintaining the chaos before I leave on Saturday for another retreat at Montreat! And yes, without the kids again. But my husband gets to come along for that one so I am very excited about some much needed time with him.

So... I've decided to do a year in review of all the happenings in our home during 2008.

We bought a new house in January 2008.

Here are the kiddos in the den.

Henry learned how to stand.

Emily looks a lot like me when I was young.

Sara with a not so happy face.

Henry turned one in July.

Sara learned how to play on my computer.

We hugged a lot!

Hugged some more.

We attempted potty training and they did good for awhile.
Went back to pullups during the winter and hope to try again this spring.

We played in a baby pool during the hot Charlotte summers.

Henry discovered our cat, Sasha.

And enjoyed wrestled with her!

The girls liked to sleep almost anywhere.
Even under the bed!

Silly Em... before letting go of the pacifier.
Thankfully, giving those up was a 2008 triumph!

We got messy when we ate.

Henry learned to say "more" with his hands.

We went on a hay ride at Granddaddy's farm.

We made silly faces.

We cheered for the Tar Heels!

We trick or treated in our Tar Heel pride!

We made cookies!

We celebrated Thanksgiving!

Sara and Emily turned 3 in December!

Sasha finally learned to get along with our new cat Cali.

We got a wagon for Christmas.

Not the most exciting year... well, actually it was. How could it not be with 3 kids all ages 3 and under? Life is non-stop action in our home. I am looking forward to another year, anticipating what God has in store for our family. I am sure it is more than I could ever dream of!

Here's to a new year full of good memories, smiles and laughter in our home, joy and fun, and God's constant guidance!

Christmas Pictures

2008-12-28T22:26:00.002-05:00

Here is a collection of photos taken over Christmas. Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

My silly boy

2008-12-22T23:29:00.002-05:00

Here is my first attempt at a slideshow... if you click on the picture, it will take you to smilebox and play 10 photos of Henry. I just couldn't resist posting these one day embarrassing pictures of him. Since Saturday, I have had Henry all to myself while his sisters are spending time with grandparents. I think he needs a little male attention. Luckily, Daddy is coming home tomorrow night for a LONG weekend!!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

H learns about Santa

2008-12-22T18:05:00.005-05:00

On Saturday, we spent the day with my family celebrating Christmas. We all took a walk to the big rocks for pictures. Henry walked most of the way with his big cousin Witt. In this little video, Witt is telling Henry all about Santa and "lumps of coal". Too funny and so sweet!

Happy Birthday Sara and Emily

2008-12-18T15:27:00.007-05:00

My twins turned 3 this past Saturday! I am truly amazed at how much they have grown and how quickly the time has gone. I cannot imagine a single day without being a mom to these two cuties!

For those of you who don't know, Sara and Emily were conceived naturally. In fact, I told my doctors, my family and friends that I thought I was having twins. And most people's response was "Oh, so cute, first time mom." It wasn't until my ultrasound at 18 weeks that I was proved right and we knew we were having twin girls!

I made it to week 37 before my placenta gave out and the doctors induced labor. I was induced on a Monday morning, but the twins did not come until the next day. So much for planning, we had hoped their birthday would be 12-12, but instead it is 12-13! Sara was born at 12:17pm and Emily came 7 minutes later. Both beautiful and I was in love at first sight!

They had to stay in the special care nursery for 10 days because they just didn't want to eat. Luckily, we were able to take them home on Dec. 23- a true Christmas celebration!

And now, three years later, I can barely remember how long those 10 days were when I was at home without my babies. I cannot imagine my home without their voices, laughter, tears, and screams. Their noises make my day complete and make me stop and say Thank You to God for these amazing blessing. Anyone who has witnessed a birth, be it their own or not, knows that a baby is truly a gift from God. And for some reason, God blessed our family with two at once!

Sara and Emily are the best of friends... they sleep in one twin bed together even though there are two in their room. They insist on sitting in one chair to eat supper some nights. They dress alike most days, thanks to mommy (and grandparents). They share toys, books and stuffed animals with each other. Most days they play well together and can usually resolve their own disagreements without any intervention.

There is an amazing bond between twins that is hard to explain in words. It is beautiful to watch and a joy to learn about!

Happy Birthday to my twin girls- Sara and Emily!

Age one- Christmas 2006

Spring 2007

August 2007

Spring 2008

Christmas 2008

The Baby Jesus

2008-12-16T23:52:00.007-05:00

Sara and Emily have discovered our manger scene and love playing with all the pieces. The only problem is that there is only one baby Jesus and they both want to play with him. Emily was in tears last week because Sara wouldn't share the baby Jesus. It was sad, but also quite comical to hear the tears over wanting the baby Jesus!

It seems that the girls aren't the only ones who enjoy playing with the manger scene. Henry enjoys the pieces also, but insists on putting them in his mouth! Too bad I haven't caught that on film, but I found myself saying to him today "Henry, don't put the baby Jesus in your mouth." Not something you hear too often from a minister!

Christmas Pictures

2008-12-16T23:32:00.002-05:00

I've been slack about blogging lately because we spent much of last week at home with a stomach bug. I did take pictures and some flip videos, but who wants to see us hanging out in our pajamas for a week?

So, here are some pictures I had taken at the beginning of December for Christmas cards. I took the kids to Portrait Innovations and was pleasantly surprised with how well the pictures turned out. They got all three kids smiling and sitting in the same place! Some of the pictures are too cute for words.

Enjoy!

Why we have no ornaments on the tree...

2008-12-03T20:11:00.003-05:00

I can't keep any ornaments on my tree thanks to our cat Cali. Need I say anymore?

Friday's Thanksgiving Celebration

2008-12-02T20:50:00.005-05:00

We went to Ben's parents house for Thanksgiving on Friday to celebrate with the family. Ben's sister and brother were both able to be there with there families. We attempted a family Christmas picture of our three kids with little success. I included a couple of those failed attempts here.

Ben's parents have a fantastic house and yard that begs for kids to explore and play. The girls had a blast playing with their cousins in the yard and climbing all around. The fire outside was a nice added touch to keep the grownups warm while they sat, sang and enjoyed the rare time together.

Another attempt at a picture was one of the 9 grandchildren. It was taken late in the afternoon and my kids just were not wanting to cooperate. But it still is nice to see all 9 grandchildren together and a couple of pictures with Grandmother and Granddaddy.

As you can tell, we had a great long Thanksgiving and it was spent as it should be- with family, enjoying good food and enjoying time with one another.

I hope each of you had a Happy Thanksgiving!Sara

The twins with some of their cousins

Henry

An attempt at a Christmas card picture

Take #2

S & H with daddy and cousin Elizabeth

9 grandkids

Grandkids with Grandmother and Granddaddy

Thanksgiving/Birthday in Columbia

2008-12-02T20:05:00.004-05:00

Here are some pics of the kids at my parents house for Thanksgiving.

Henry in the rocker

Sara and Em

The birthday cake

Daddy and Henry

Waiting patiently for cake

Singing along

Now can we have some cake please?

Emily and the Jack in the Box

2008-12-02T15:38:00.003-05:00

We visited Ben's parents on Friday for Thanksgiving and the girls discovered a Jack in the Box. Emily couldn't quite decide whether she likes it or not. Her facial expressions in this video say it all.

Early Birthday Song

2008-12-02T14:03:00.004-05:00

As I mentioned in my last post, we celebrated the girls birthday with my parents and my sister's family over Thanksgiving. Their actually birthday isn't until Dec. 13 when they will be 3 years old, but we are celebrating already.

Here is the ice cream birthday cake that the girls loved because Mickey and Minnie Mouse were on top. They couldn't wait to get the topper off the cake.

Can you tell we are big fans of Mickey Mouse in our house?

My silly Em

2008-12-01T20:12:00.004-05:00

On Thanksgiving Day, we celebrated the twins birthday early with my family so the cousins could all share in the celebration. Mawmaw and Papa gave each of the girls their very own Micky Mouse Clubhouse with lots of accessories. The girls absolutely love it and think that it is the best present. I have even caught them asleep hugging the big plastic Mickey Mouse head.

After opening their presents, I caught Emily on camera playing with the box... or should I say IN the box. Listen closely to her words, it cracks me up!

Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T18:24:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I have so much to be thankful for. I asked the kids at church to think of their top ten things that are thankful for a few weeks ago, so I thought I would do the same. Here goes...

1. God- for the gift of life and for loving me even when I fail.
2. My husband who supports me, loves me, cares for me and is the best daddy to our kids.

3. My kids who keep me laughing, teach me and inspire me daily to be a better mother. They are truly gifts from God!
4. My parents and sister who have always encouraged me in everything I do.
5. My job in a church that allows me to be a minister and a mother. I am surrounded by amazing people who remind of God's presence everyday.
6. My home... I love my home- the layout, the size, the location. It suits all of our needs.
7. My friends... there are too many to name, but those who have known me throughout the good and bad times and who still love me for me.
8. I am thankful that my husband has a job that challenges him and uses his gifts and talents. And I am thankful that Greenville is only 2 hours away from us because he can still come home when he needs to.
9. It may seem trivial, but I am thankful for my Honda Odessey because it is safe, the three car seats fit perfectly, XM radio and a rear entertainment center for those long drives with the kids.
10. Food... especially Trader Joe's yummy frozen meals that keep me fed after the kids go to bed.

And I know I said 10 things, but one more...
11. Sleep... I love that my kids NOW sleep through the night since none of them did until they were one year old. I love that my cats curl up in bed with me and keep me toasty warm on these cold nights. And I love that I wake up in the middle of the night when one or both of my girls climbs in bed with me when daddy is gone.

So, there you go... just a few things that I am thankful for as I look forward to celebrating Thanksgiving with my family over the next few days.

I hope you all have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving with those you love!

I'm flip crazy

2008-11-25T10:14:00.004-05:00

Seriously... I love this thing. I can take quick little videos of the kids and post them or email them. I am not going to bore you all with the videos of the girls brushing their teeth or doing a puzzle, but I had to share this one! The angle is kind of crazy because as you may can tell, Henry knocks me over during the middle of it. But if you listen closely, you will hear Henry saying hello to Daddy, uh-oh, "I love you Daddy" and at the end leaning in for a kiss to Daddy.

We so miss our Daddy during the week!

wolfman

2008-11-24T10:13:00.005-05:00

With three kids under the age of 3, it is often hard to find a place to go out to eat that the kids enjoy and is KID friendly. We have one place that we all love... Wolfman Pizza! It is our typical Sunday lunch after church if the kids have been good and Mommy and Daddy are filling up for an adventure. All three kids LOVE the breadsticks and pizza from there. And Mommy and Daddy can be pleased as well because they have great 8 inch pizzas and a variety of subs. My personal favorite is the white wolf pizza..."Garlic butter, mozzarella, gruyere and parmesan cheeses. Topped with roma tomatoes and fresh basil. " Yum!!! If you live in Charlotte and haven't had Wolfman, you should go try it. I can't wait to have my leftovers for lunch today. Here are the kiddos munching on some cheese pizza at Wolfman. Henry's face at the end is priceless! He really is starting to look more and more like Ben.

My new flip

2008-11-22T19:56:00.005-05:00

Ben gave me an early Christmas present yesterday- A Flip mino! This little gadget is fabulous! It allows me to take short little videos of the kids and upload them quickly to the computer so I can send them to Ben. He gave it to me early so I can start sending little videos and updates to him more regularly. I think it is because he misses seeing the kids so much during the week. And we miss him too! Here is one of the first videos of the kids and Ben while he was home. Hopefully, I will get better at the filming...

Pajama Day!

2008-11-15T14:53:00.001-05:00

We had pajama day at preschool last week. Here are the twins in their super cute, super comfy fleece pajamas. Sweet little girls!

He is all boy

2008-10-30T20:19:00.002-04:00

I walked out of my bedroom and had to laugh at what I saw. Henry is truly all boy and loves to climb, wrestle and run. I snapped this adorable picture of him and you wouldn't know he was doing anything wrong, but look a little further and see where he was...

Yep, he is on top of a table!!!

Daddy's cookies

2008-10-30T20:12:00.002-04:00

With Daddy out of town during the week, we thought we would make him some yummy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
Everyone helped!

Ant Bites- not for the weak!!!

2008-10-30T19:52:00.004-04:00

I've been debating for some time on whether to post this or not, but since those who read this have asked how Emily is doing, I thought I would share. On Tuesday, October 14, Emily sat in a bed of fire ants at preschool. The teachers did not see the ant hill because it wasn't a hill. It was flat and spread out over a large area.

Poor girl had close to 200 bites on her torso. As you can most were on her back. By the time I got to the preschool, the teachers had gotten all the ants off and had covered her with a baking soda paste which helped. Thank goodness for my dear friend Vicki who remained calm and cared for Emily as if she were her own.

Emily did not have an allergic reaction to the ant bites this time. I have been told that if she gets bitten again by ants or stung by a bee that she could have an allergic reaction then. We are watching her closely as the ant bites are still not quite healed.

Throughout it all, Emily was a trooper. She says that the ants were loving her and giving her kisses, but that it was scary. Oh, my brave little one! Thank goodness that God was watching over her and protecting her.

Here are some pictures from the day and days after her ant bite attack!

Most of the bites were right at the underwear line or her lower back.

A side view the day after she was bitten.

Emily's back... doesn't it make you want to scratch just looking!

Here's Emily saying "I'm a brave girl."
And she is!!!

The Party

2008-10-12T23:29:00.006-04:00

The Farm

2008-10-12T21:21:00.010-04:00

We spent the weekend at my in-laws farm in Surry County. It was a beautiful day and the kids had a blast! We began the morning picking up walnuts in the yard. They all three loved filling the bucket.
We then went on a hay ride on the back of Granddaddy's tractor. We rode to see Gizmoe the donkey and lots of cows. Sara and Emily loved seeing the cows up close and wanted to pet them, but the cows wouldn't come quite close enough.
After lunch and naps, the kids enjoyed riding on Granddaddy's lawnmower. So much fun. We ended the day with a party at one of the cousin's places... I'll post those pictures next.

Enjoy the pictures of our day on the farm!

Funny pics...

2008-10-08T14:07:00.006-04:00

I am going to try and update a little more often since my husband is living in Greenville during the week. Here are some funny things the kids have down over the past week.

Sara found one of my husband's cds. I guess it looks appealing because of the cute picture on front, but I am afraid the music would scare the kids. We may be missing daddy, but mommy isn't missing the Melvins... sorry Daddy!

Emily decided to pretend that the ketchup was make-up. She has been fascinated watching me put make-up on every morning. She was so proud for getting it all over her face that I had to take a picture. Of course, it was straight to the bath after supper.

Henry has been saying "More" in sign language... it makes him laugh! I've told everyone that he says more and uses the sign, but of course he won't do it for anyone but me! So, here is the picture to prove that he actually knows how to say "more"!!!