Holding on to 3

What is it about 4 yrs old, it sounds SO MUCH older than 3! 4 sounds so close to 5, and 5 makes me think Kindergarten...and they can't possibly be ready for Kindergarten soon...and then I remember, for just a few more days they are still 3.
When I look at my girls, they really look like they are 4, and are beginning to act and say things like a 4 year old. But I also still look at them and see their sweet baby faces at 6mths old, their excitement at beginning to walk, when they first became interested in one another and began playing together (which hasn't stopped!), their first baby words and pony tails. I am literally typing this with tears in my eyes as I recount the joyous blessing of these precious twin girls, Atley Michelle and Avery Nicole, and the incredible joy of being their mom for the past 4 years now. I know every mother feels this way, as if time is flying by and their babies are growing up too fast. You would think I would perhaps not feel this so strongly since I have two other "babies" at home to baby. But the feeling is there the same, and as strong as a mother can feel. They are precious, quickly becoming my little sidekicks and loving to help mommy in all the to do's of daily life. Talk about imaginations, they've got them. Together they can come up with all sorts of different things to play and people to be. What an incredible blessing they have in each other, a best friend and play mate for life. My sister and I are close, so it thrills me that they will have the same sweet sisterly relationship with each other. These two darling little girls are such a blessing to me.
And so, I'm holding on to 3! I love these sweet years of having them home with me. I love that they want to be with me, snuggle with me, read books with me, learn about Jesus with me, imagine with me, cook with me, tell me they love me all the time, listen to me tell stories, ride in the car with me, help me with the baby, learn school with me, and most of all PRAY with me. What special times we have together. And while little brothers often take up a lot of mommies time too, these sweet almost but not quite 4 years olds are going to have many years ahead of girl time with mom - something I am truly looking forward to.
The Lord will prepare my heart for each stage of the way. I know He is sufficient and my ultimate desire. Though I love my children dearly, I love Jesus more. He have given me these sweet daughters to love and love them I will. He has also given me these daughters to train up in womanly godliness and one day marry them away. So in every season, be it turning 4 years old or having a baby of their own, I pray the Lord would walk with me daily allowing me to be the mother He would have me be.
A little glimpse of the past 4 years
Atley:






Avery:






*the other day they were saying "mommy take a picture of us hugging each other" and then kept telling each other how much they loved one another. SO sweet :)

Santa Baby

the cutest little santa baby i've ever seen
sitting up on his own
sleeping better than ever (not through the night just yet, but that will happen soon:)
eating lots of veggies
rolling all over the floor
loving his siblings
surprisingly loves the rough play with big brother
still infatuated with mommy
I love him, my sweet almost 8 month old!! WOW

Playing catch up with Phone Pics

our first official "you cut your own hair?!"
thank goodness it was just a tiny bit and hopefully lesson learned! :) ha...

eating Chick fil a at the ZOE Christmas party last night!



Atley


Canon



Avery
*I'm saving Champ's picture for his own little post - it is entirely TOO CUTE!



our mess after playing in the snow


budding artists


budding bakers



the boys first bath together


this happens daily. my mom always told me that my brother (26mths younger than me) would sit on me and I would just lay there yelling for mommy to help me. well, now this SAME thing is happening in my own house...hilarious!



all 4 kids with their heads falling the same way, asleep in the car



sweet baby after his FIRST bathtub bath...yes he is 7 months old


Champ on the car ride to Dallas


Atley going to Dallas



Avery going to Dallas



Canon going to Dallas - watching Toy Story 3...he was so into it


Champ learning to sit up while mommy cooks

our first snow day

we woke up to white this morning!
gotta love our deck in the winter, great for playing in the snow while mommy watches in her pj's from the window :)
we are planning on going out in the yard tomorrow if it is still here.
i was cracking up watching them. the girls kept looking at me and making sure it was okay to eat the snow. Canon was hilarious walking around in his cowboy boots - they were the only thing I could find big enough to fit over his size 3 footie pajamas that didn't have flowers or pink on them :)

it's a love hate relationship

it's a love hate relationship
me and my basement that is
i've found so many millipedes, spiders, crickets, roaches, and other unidentifiable bugs down there that I usually don't like to go down there.
we have a shop vac that we keep down there and I use it EVERY time I let the kids go down to play. And I ALWAYS vacuum up some kind of dead little insect. Phillip thinks I'm crazy and can't even see the bugs, which means it's maybe not that bad...but to me it is disgusting! All that to say, once it is vacuumed up really quick, the kids love playing down there and I enjoy all the energy they burn off.

sweet baby always on my hip, has a lot to watch


big brother playing on the playground (we got this as a Christmas gift from my parents a few years ago)


a big blow up bouncy thing we inherited from Phillip's parents basement. we blew it up yesterday and the kids are going crazy in it

garage sale find, i'm starting them early on golf :)

riding bikes and running are two favorites

pretending to be a baby in my old wooden baby doll cradle

she loves to climb up onto the house, play for a while and then jump off




just in case you are thinking, oh that's so great and fun and makes mothering easy...let me fill you in on what was REALLY going on right after taking all these sweet pictures. Atley had her first accident in a LONG time, right on top of that house, it was pretty much a waterfall, I of course was holding Champ, Phillip was sick upstairs, and both girls who hadn't napped began crying. Our life is utterly sweet and fun and full, and also full of tears and crazy moments too :)

December so far

*lots of snuggle time with daddy
*our first time to make and ice sugar cookies - i was so impressed by the girls ability to use the cookie cutters and then ice them so well. they stayed with it for a long time and since the boys were sleeping we had some great girl time together.
*our church's annual Christmas Tea was last night and was beautiful of course! the kids and I went up to meet Phillip and then he took them home, so we attempted a family pic. One of these days everyone will be smiling and actually looking at the camera, it just might be a few years~

Thanksgiving in very few pictures