Wordless Wednesday

Merry Christmas!

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! I look forward to seeing many new pics of all your new Christmas memories! Much Love, Kate.

I'm Not Behind, I'm Just Taking My Time.

Or maybe I'm just in denial. Have you ever let the laundry get so behind that you thought it might be easier to just drag the baskets to Goodwill and buy new??? :)

Beyond Measure

5 little women

1 bedtime routine

5 baths

3 little sets of teeth to brush

4 diapers to change

5 sets of pj's

100 nails to trim

3 bedtime snacks

2 babies to feed

5 love-bugs to cuddle with

5 sweet faces to kiss

1 daddy who is wrapped around some little fingers

1 happy & thankful mama

1 Amazing and Sovereign Lord

Who Needs A Drink?

Soakin' It Up

What A Wonderful Maker

I have been reading a book by Sally Clarkson called "The Mission of Motherhood". It has been a super read, and has offered many encouraging words for me lately. It is so hard sometimes to fully understand the importance of being "called" to motherhood. It can be such a stressful job, leaving us mom's feeling a little crazy at times...don't you think? How many times have I stopped and thought, "am I even making any kind of impact on these little lives??"...probably about a million times. But I am so very thankful, and it is only by God's Grace that I am able to savor these moments with the girls...even in the midst of the chaos. Praise the Lord that He is letting me try to navigate my way through this huge calling. Here are a few things from the book:

"...those same years when I thought I was accomplishing nothing - have had a lasting effect on almost every aspect of the rest of my child's life."

"I still hear my mothers voice in my heart as I face different situations. I still have a need for a cheerleader who believes in me when I have failed, who will pray for me in the stressful moments in life, lend me money when I need it, and help me through times of difficulty with wisdom and perspective. A mother's relationship with her child is one that will encompass a lifetime. How blessed is that child who has that anchor of strength and support."

"...saying yes to the Mission of Motherhood has certainly not meant giving up my ministry, to a great extent, it is my ministry."

Just thought I'd share in case anyone was looking for a good book!

A Tall Skinny Peppermint Mocha Please

Caffeine & Peppermint, it's a beautiful thing.

40 Weeks

Today is my original due date for Kinley & Raya.

40 Weeks

December 8th, 2008

I just wanted to post this so I would remember what my original due date was, and how lucky we were to make it as far as we did, only 3 weeks shy of December 8th. I can't believe that we have had these sweet babies for 3 weeks. Sometimes it feels like we have had them for months, and then sometimes it feels like we just got home from the hospital. It is hard to remember what life was like before they arrived, and honestly there is still a lot of adjusting going on in our big family. The older girls are doing amazing, they love Kinley & Raya and seemed to have settled into this new life with 2 new sisters.


Now for a little bit of the hard truth. I think the one who is adjusting the slowest is me! I feel like I can't get my act together. I usually run a pretty tight schedule around here and as of lately, I just can't seem to nail that schedule back down. There are lots of moments that I feel stressed and I am pretty much always exhausted. With taking care of 5 that are 4 & under, cleaning, cooking, breastfeeding/pumping, middle of the night feedings, diapers, more diapers...I guess this would make anyone tired. I tend to be real hard on myself and I know I need to give myself some grace through this season. It is a hard job to have 5 little ones. I had no idea, I thought I did, but you never really can grasp it until you're in the middle of it.

The Amazing up side to all this chaos??
I am loving the new-ness of the babies.
We have some serious cheeks going on.
I love watching the older girls love on them.
Being a "big family", it is an amazing thing.
Kinley & Raya are great babies.
We are approaching the holiday, and we have lot's of family to celebrate with.
All the girls are healthy.
Ella is such an amazing little girl. God has let me see what a sweet little heart that He has given her...she is such a help.
Reese & Charlotte are cracking us up. Talking, laughing, joking with each other. Coming and telling me "babies are crying mom...need pacifier..." Too cute.
Ella, Reese and Charlotte standing and looking through the cribs at the babies. A kodak moment for sure.
God is showing me what it truly means to NEED Him. Where would be without the hope of the Lord, without the peace that He gives us, without knowing that we are living out His plan for our family?
We have each other, and we're in this together.

So many ramblings, so little time...literally. You think those pregnancy hormones haven't worked their way out completely!?

Who's Who??

Which one is which?? When they are all bundled up, it's hard to tell the size difference. I had to post the 2nd pic with the hat halfway over her eyes, they always slide down! Don't you just want to love on all these chubby cheeks!?

A Little Over 2 Weeks Ago, 37 Week Twin Baby Belly

This post is long over due! I know I would regret it if I didn't post a little something about our delivery. I was scheduled for a csection on Sunday, Nov. 16th at 10am. On Saturday I decided to get everything done. Cleaning out closets, washing clothes, taking things to Goodwill, etc. I headed out to Target at about 6pm to stock up on things for the following weeks. I hurried home because Eric's parents were coming over for pizza and to work out some details for the following week while we were in the hospital. When I got home we took this last belly pic, I felt gigantic. I told Eric, "something is different, my contractions are different, I feel strange." I tried to blame it on nerves and sat down for some pizza. During dinner my contractions got worse and I knew that this was it. I told everyone, and paged our Dr. at 9pm. He said head on in, we are going to have some babies tonight!!

I was so not expecting to leave for the hospital that night. I had planned on tucking my older girls in bed one more time before this huge change, and talk to them about the new babies we would have in the morning, but that wasn't God's plan for that night. We packed the girls up and sent them home with Eric's parents, I cried...and cried. For some reason it was so hard to let them go knowing that things were never going to be the same. We'll just blame it on the hormones :) :). I was having contractions every 3 minutes and was dilated to 3 by the time we got to labor & delivery. They took me into surgery a little before midnight, and at 12:15am & 12:16 we heard those sweet little first cries. God had added Kinley and Raya to our growing family.

36 Weeks 5 Days

Reese & Raya

Charlotte thought the babies were amazing!

And our Ella wanted to hold them all day, she is such a little helper.

Life is a little crazy here in our house, but we are adjusting a little more everyday. I can't believe it's been 2 1/2 weeks. The babies have brought so much joy to our family, we feel so lucky to have them. I have so many pics to come of all the girls, we are trying to capture as many moments as we can. I know this crazy time will fly by so quickly, and I want to remember as much as possible. Now if I could only get a chance to update my blog layout! Hope everyone is doing well!

I Simply Can't Get Enough

Kinley, Raylin and I were playing "catch up" on some sleep when this picture was taken. I fell asleep while cuddling with them on the couch. I can't get enough of their sweetness, they are too precious. Life around here has been a little chaotic, but we all are adjusting well to our new life as a family of 7. The older girls were a little overwhelmed the first day I think, but they are doing great now and absolutely adore these 2 new little girls.

I have more pics to come, I just need to find the time to go through them and get them downloaded. Thanks again for all the comments & emails, we appreciate all the encouragement and support during this exciting season. Hope you all are doing well!

And Then There Were 5!

Just wanted to update everyone and let you all know that we had the girls...obviously! We are so thankful & proud to introduce :

Kinley Joy

6.0 pounds

12:15am 11/16/08

Raylin June

8 pounds 7 ounces

12:16am 11/16/08

We are so blessed to have little Kinley & Raya added to our family, they are amazing! I will post more pics and labor info a little later. Thanks for all your thoughts & prayers!

This Sunday Is The Day!

Well, our Dr. decided this morning that he wants to deliver the twins this Sunday, the 16th. Preeclampsia is starting to set in fast and he wants to deliver before it gets out of control. I am still in shock that we are going to have 2 more little babies this Sunday, it feels surreal, and almost overwhelming. I can't wait to finally hold them, and hear those first little cries. We took the girls out to Build A Bear last night just to do something fun with them before the new twins come. I am sure glad we did it last night.....I had no idea we would be a family of 7 in about 48 hours!

I am so thankful for these new babies, and for what they are going to bring to our family. We are trying to prepare the older girls as much as we can for this big change. Ella is obviously so excited, She can't wait to be my "big helper." Reese & Charlotte however, I don't think completely understand whats happening. They talk about the babies in my belly, but there is no way they can fully grasp what is going on.....it might be a shock to their little systems for them not to be the babies anymore! I know everyone will adjust fine, and that God already has all those details worked out. I am excited to see them love on the new babes and sooooo excited to get a pic of all 5 girls!

I am totally planning on getting one more belly pic before I deliver, I might have Eric take one tonight. I'm sure I will be posting more thoughts tomorrow. Thanks so much for all your thoughts & prayers!!

Sooooo Close.....

Well, we have been to Labor & Delivery twice this past week. Once for contractions & movement issues, and once for high blood pressure. Both times the babies sounded great and our Dr. thought it was ok to let us come home. Last night we were there till 2am, needless to say, we are a little tired.....but so thankful that everything is ok.

I have another Dr. appointment on Friday morning to check everything out, dilation, blood pressure, swelling, etc. The plan for now is to make it as close to 38 weeks as possible. It is very likely that our Dr. will deliver the twins via c-section a week from tomorrow unless I am in labor before then. On Monday I was:

36 Weeks

Measuring 49 Weeks

I hope to get a good twin belly pic to post soon, I really want to get a couple more before I have the twins. Oh I can't wait to love on these babies!!

Too Cute, Had To Post These

This & That

It has been a pretty eventful week since last Tuesday. On Tuesday night I had a "Girls Night Out Baby Shower." It was fabulous. My family and friends way out did themselves. I am so very thankful to have women in my life that care as much as these ladies do. I haven't been doing to much lately due to the fact that I am so extremely tired, and the more I do, the worse the contractions get. We are so unbelievably close, and we are trying to hang on till 37 weeks.

I can't even put into words how excited I am to meet these new babies. All I can think about is what they will look like, how much they will weigh, what will 5 that are 4 and under be like, etc. etc. Oh how I worry about them. We have been working on their room, or should I say Eric has been working on their room, and trying to get all our last minute things done. Now I need to wash some of these sweet little clothes....and maybe I should go ahead and pack my hospital bag :) :). At my appointment this week my Dr. said I have gone through a growth spurt. I was 35 weeks and measuring 47/48 weeks!! That's how big I was when I delivered Reese & Charlotte. I will hopefully be posting a 36 week twin baby belly pic on Monday....be prepared, I'm not exactly small.

Ella had a little field trip to a local Pumpkin Patch with her Preschool. Obviously daddy had to go on the hayride since I am a little pregnant....I don't even know how they would've gotten me on and off that wagon, but anyway. The girls also had a blast on Halloween, they loved trick or treating. Here are some pics from our busy week.

34 Week Twin Baby Belly

I took these updated pics at my mom's place...she has the best & biggest full length mirror.

34 Weeks 1 Day

Measuring 44 Weeks

It's Official

Well, like the title says, it's official, nothing fits.

And when I say nothing, that includes my socks. :) :)

I Had Good Intentions

I went to Sam's to pick up some food and snacks today. My intentions were to get healthy items, but my pregnancy hormones led me astray and this is what ended up in the cart.

And no, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you, that IS in fact a 6 pound bag of Gummi Bears.

Little Girls & Fangs

I had to post these pics. The girls got these things out of a little machine at a local restaurant. Even though we don't do scary things for Halloween, the girls thought these were too funny. And I have to admit, my mom and I laughed pretty hard, till I had tears running down my cheeks. I guess you had to be there, haha.

Getting Ready For 5

We have been working a lot over the past week to make room for these sweet, new babies. I guess I thought it would be a little easier than it's been :). We currently only have 3 bedrooms until we find a new home for our growing family. Which means that Ella, Reese & Charlotte will be sharing a room....moving Ella in with the twins was a little crazy.

We had some tears, and a lot of questions, but in the end everyone was ok! The first night was a little wild, but tonight is the 2nd night, and they did great. Although instead of going right to sleep, we are hearing a lot of little giggles in there, which I have to admit, fills my heart.

I will say it again, we are about to have 5 girls that are 4 & under!! I still can't believe it sometimes, it seems surreal. But then I feel some kicks and a couple contractions, and reality sets back in. Wow, life will be a little wild for a bit, but oh are we excited. I get nervous about it sometimes, but I am ready, I think :). I keep looking at these little sleepers & clothes, and I just can't wait to meet these girls. They are going to be too sweet.

I have been having a lot more contractions and have been put on some meds to calm them down a bit. Everything is fine, just a little preterm labor. We still plan on making it another 3-4 weeks, hopefully. Ooohhhh, I can't wait to kiss their little faces!!

The New Mr. & Mrs. And One Cute Flower Girl

Well the wedding went great, everything went just as planned. It was awesome to stand by mom as she married Bob, they are a sweet couple. Ella was the Flower Girl, she looked absolutely darling. She was a little worn out by the end of the night, but she had a lot of fun. Here are a few random pics.

The new Mr. & Mrs.

Ella in her dress, too cute!

Ella watching the wedding musicians, she loved them.

Mom Is Walking Down The Aisle

My mom is getting married tomorrow!! We are so excited for her & Bob. They are such a sweet couple and I don't know anyone who deserves this day more than my mom. She is truly an amazing woman. We are so happy to have Bob join the family, and are so thankful that he and my mom found each other. So in honor of the wedding, Oct. 11th, here is a list of the top 11 things I love most about my mom.

1. She is the strongest woman I know. I pray that I have the same strength and courage for my family that she had for us.

2. She is a giver. Not only to people she loves, but also to people she barely knows.

3. Speaking of giving, she not only donates clothes to Goodwill, but also to the local Elsa's as well.

4. Ladies nights at Elsa's and Brio's Patio. Enough said.

5. We pretty much know exactly what the other is thinking without even saying anything, and it's usually funny.

6. She is an amazing listener. I can't even count the times that I have cried and talked while she just listened. I can't even imagine what I would do without her there to talk to.

7. She loves our girls as if they were her own. It is unconditional. And our girls cherish her, when Grandma is around, not much else matters.

8. She is the true definition of a mother. There is nothing she hasn't, or wouldn't do for my brothers and I. She has always been there for us, and has always stood by us, no matter what. She is always there to guide and support, and has been the "glue" that held us together.

9. Even though some people might call it stalking, she's doesn't mind that I call her like 100 times a day.

10. Her hilarious sense of humor. I have laughed till I cried countless times with her. Like recently when I was trying to fit my swollen feet into wedding shoes at David's Bridal...not ideal, but really, really funny.

11. She has not only been an amazing mother my whole life, but my best friend. The woman I can confide in, and laugh with. The woman I look up to.

Congrats Mom! I love you!

Daddy & Charlotte

I thought this picture was too sweet. I love how much he loves our little girls.

Devotionals

Does anyone know of any night time kids devotionals that you would recommend? We are looking for a new one for Ella (4.5), and just wondering which ones you all really like. I would love some suggestions. Thanks!!

So Ready For Fall!!

This past weekend we took the girls to a Pumpkin Patch near by to pick up some Fall goodies. They also had a petting zoo which the girls absolutely loved. It was such a beautiful day, and the cool weather made all of us super excited for Fall. We baked some pumpkin cookies & carved the pumpkins when we got back home, good family time.

First, absolutely love this pic, he loves his little girls. Here is Charlotte & Daddy looking at some animals at the petting zoo.

Picking out a Pumpkin was such a big decision!

Eric did all the dirty work, the girls didn't like the insides of the pumpkins on their hands.

The Pumpkins turned out great! When we lit them up, the girls thought it was the best thing ever. They ask every night to "turn on the pumpkins!"

Picture This

We had some pics taken last week of the girls, it has been too long since we've had them done. Shannon Queen has done our family pictures for the past year, and she is absolutely wonderful. The family pictures you see on this blog, she took. Checkout her website here. I also got some preggo pics taken since I never have before. Just wanted to share these cute Fall pictures with everyone, enjoy!

Ella

Reese

Charlotte

The Girls

Playing Dress Up & Tea Party

Ella & Me

Bare Twin Belly :)

Love These Girls

This is what I found the girls doing while I'm trying to stay off my feet. At least they are keeping themselves busy!! Love, love, love these little women.

Twin Belly Pics, Almost 30 Weeks!! Fun At The Hair Salon...

I was getting my hair highlighted last night at a salon where my cousin/close friend Alex works. They were doing my hair after hours since Alex works there, that way I can help put the kiddos to bed first :). And I must say, I love getting my hair highlighted. Well they have these huge full length mirrors and we were having fun snapping some cell phone pics....I didn't have my regular camera. Alex was laughing cause I was joking that I should be taking pics of my swollen ankles instead, they're not exactly small right now.

I am showing some serious signs that Preeclampsia has started to set in. While I'm not shocked, I was a little bummed when I realized that I was going to probably face it again. But I know that there many other things that could be happening that would be a lot worse, so I am thankful that we are almost 30 weeks and the babes seem to be doing well. My contractions are stronger and more frequent, so I have been ordered to the couch, and if that doesn't help, I guess full bed rest will be next. I am hopeful that resting more and staying down will help. I still have to be up taking Ella to school and taking care of all 3 obviously, we are just going to have to take it one day at a time. Our Dr. is a little worried that we won't make it to 36 weeks, but I am still confident that I can make it to 37 weeks.

I still can't believe that we are only about 7 weeks away from 5 little girls. I feel so overwhelmed sometimes just thinking about it, but also very excited to add these new little ones to our family. What a change it will be, but what a blessing it is at the same time.

The Name Game

I will be back on with some pics later, the weather has been absolutely amazing after our little run in with IKE. Nice and cool, the way a pregnant woman likes it. For now though I need some girl names. We have been through almost every name list out there, and although we have some "front runners", we are still on the fence.

So what have you heard lately on the girl name scene? Any new ones out there? We would love to hear your favorites!!!

28 Week Check Up & Testing

Just a pregnancy update. I had my glucose tests today at my 28 week check up. Nothing like fasting when you're pregnant. I was eating a piece of pie last night at 11:45pm, I had to get it in before midnight. You would've thought that they were asking me to fast for a week instead of just overnight.

The appointment went great, and I don't show any signs of a problem. I am starting to have some swelling & my contractions have definitely started to ramp up over the past week or so. The swelling is not really a shock since I'm almost 30 weeks, and I had preeclampsia with my last set of twins. Hopefully it won't develop like it did last time. If so, it's ok, I just want these little girls to be here & healthy, that's all I care about. And as for the contractions, feet up & take it easy......which shouldn't be that hard with 3 little girls to run after :). I am thankful that we have made it this far without any major problems, and that the babies seem to be growing like they should. I am so excited to see their little faces!! Our Dr. seems optimistic that we will make it close to term if not all the way (36/37 weeks for twins), which is nice to hear. And for those of you who know our Dr., he's still handing out A+'s. :)

I still can't believe that God is giving us 2 more little girls. I feel so unworthy. Even though it will be stressful & crazy at times, I am just so thankful that He has chosen us for this journey. I don't know, it's just so hard to wrap my mind around God's Grace, it is truly amazing.

Night Time Story

I just had to post this pic of Reese & Charlotte. At bedtime they both sit on Charlotte's bed while we read them a story. They love it. I told them I was going to take a picture, and they put their hands on their cheeks and said, "cheeeeese!" They seriously crack us up all the time. Love, love, love them.

1st Day Of School!!

Ella started her 4 yr old Preschool class yesterday. She was so excited. When she got out of bed she said, "It's time for school, we gotta go!" She has been talking about it for a month now, summer had lost it's novelty for Ella, she was ready for a change.

I took Reese & Charlotte on some errands, and all they said the whole time was, "Ella Pee-School, Ella Pee-School." It's sweet that they miss her like they do, they don't like when someone is missing from the pack. I love that they care for each other like they do.

When I picked Ella up, she had lots to talk about. Her teacher came to the door and said, "Ella was chosen to be the first to have our class pet!" In my mind I'm thinking, "like an actual living pet, with a heartbeat? Could we get some insurance on that thing, because who knows what could happen to it at our house right now. We have very curious 2 yr olds, and a pregnant mom that's not exactly on top of her game all the time." Luckily, when I saw the bag I remembered that the class pet was a stuffed animal, a dog, Wags. So right now Wags is on top of the kitchen cabinets because we can't seem to share Wags. Sorry Dog, but I have to keep things in order here.

So all in all it was a great day. She had a blast, and absolutely loves her class. Her teacher is so sweet, and we really like the school. We are excited for a fun year!

How We Got Here

As promised, here is a short story of how we got where we are today :). I love this pic of us. Thats me in the white :). Eric and I met in college on a Mission Trip to Mexico in 2001. We were on the same ministry team, and became friends over the time we were there. We were good friends from then on and didn't actually start dating till 2002. I wish I could post pics of us on that mission trip, but I didn't have a digital camera then, I might try to scan some. As I got to know him better, I realized what a solid guy he was, and that he really desired to follow after the Lord. We spent a lot of time together just hanging out, and talking about life. We started dating in the Spring of 2002, and were engaged in August. We got married on February 1st, 2003. I was 21 and Eric was 24. I loved the ceremony, loved the reception, and loved the whole day!

6 moths after we were married, I unexpectedly ended up pregnant. We were shocked but thrilled after the whole idea sunk in. At 8 weeks I miscarried. I was absolutely devastated. I have always wanted to be a mom, and even though the pregnancy was not planned, it hurt so bad. Well, because God's Grace is so big, and I wasn't back on any kind of birth control yet, I got pregnant again 1 month after I miscarried. So we had lots of tests, and it turned out that it was a healthy pregnancy, and we were super excited. I had a great pregnancy, and loved every minute of it. My deliverywas awesome, I only pushed for about 20 minutes. Oh, and I'm definitely an Epi girl. I have my children at the hospital, where the drugs are. I delivered Ella Julia on June 5th, 2004 at 6:22am. She was 8 pounds 6 ounces and was 20 inches long. In my room I kept thinking, "I can't believe she is actually here, and I am a mom!" It was an amazing day!

When Ella turned a year, I knew I was ready to start trying again. I found out I was pregnant in September of 2005. At 6 weeks we had an ultrasound to see if everything was growing right, and we found out that there were 2 in there! Both strong little heartbeats, I could not believe my eyes. I was speechless. We found out at 20 weeks that it was 2 more sweet little girls. We could not believe that there wasn't one little boy in there!! We were so excited, and I was loving the idea that Ella would have 2 sisters. I had a pretty smooth pregnancy up till about 30 weeks. I developed Preeclampsia, and was put on bed rest, then put in the hospital. I was on bed rest at home from about 33 weeks till I delivered. Not to bad. I went in to be induced due to the preeclampsia at almost 37 weeks, and they found that Reese had turned and was feet first with her cord over my cervix. So a C-Section it was. Reese Olivia & Charlotte Grace were born on April 28th, 2006 at about 2pm. They both weighed 6 pounds 11 ounces, and were about 18 1/2 and inches long. Almost the exact same size, strange huh!? We were so thankful, they were a great size and almost full term. It was an awesome day, and we were so content with our little family :)!

So here we are. The pic below is us about 5 months before I found out I was pregnant with this set of twins. I found out in March that we were expecting again. We had not really been trying, but had always talked about having a 4th. At a 7 week ultrasound they said that it was just 1 baby this time, and that everything looked healthy. I started bleeding around 12 weeks and was brought in for another ultrasound to see what was going on. When they put the wand on my belly, I knew immediately that they had been wrong before, I saw twins again! My Dr. could not believe it. We spent the next few weeks trying to figure out how we were going to manage 5 kids that were 4 & under. The bottom line for us was that this was no surprise to the Lord, and that this was totally His plan. He would not give us more than we could handle. At 20 weeks we found out that it was 2 more little girls!! I almost fell off the table. Eric had said the whole time that it would be 2 more girls, and he was right! We are so excited, and feel so blessed that God is giving us 2 more little girls to take care of....I am always amazed by what a generous God we have. So that is how we got where we are. A lot can happen in 5 years! We are really excited to meet baby girl #4 and #5!!

Sweet Little Videos

It is so funny to watch Reese & Charlotte try to do everything Ella does. Ella doesn't always appreciate the following, but it sure is cute to watch. I wanted to post these before they get deleted accidentally off our camera. I noticed Reese & Char have been trying to count with Ella, it is so stinkin funny. Reese is actually picking it up pretty well, I just love her sweet little voice in this video.

Here are the girls singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Well, Ella is the leader and the twins are following the best they can!!

Also, I have had some requests to blog about "how we got here" and what our life has been like up until this point. Over the weekend I will be working on posts from our wedding, through the girls births, up till this pregnancy. It has been a wild road over the past 5 years, but it has also been absolutely amazing and humbling. I look forward to looking back on our journey!!

Meet The Twins!

Baby A Face

Baby B Face

I am so excited to hold these new little loves!!