Some Cute Firsts

The movie theater here in our town has $1 movies a few times a week during the summer, and I'd been wanting to take the girls to see how they'd do.  Unfortunately, a lot of the movies they were showing just weren't age appropriate, and we're trying to be extra careful with what Naomi and Evelyn watch lately because they're getting a sense of fear about things.  For example, we have had to start fast forwarding through The Count scenes on Sesame Street, and they're scared of the magic mirror on the Veggie Tale, "Sweetpea  Beauty".  Naomi will run and find us and say, "So Scawed", or "So Scawy".  Ahh, too sad!  Anyway, Patrick's sister Alaina is working at our local theater this summer, and she let me know that they were showing a Winnie the Pooh movie last week.  We decided that we'd take them, and just not have any expectations for how they would do.  Well, they loved it!  I was so surprised at how well they paid attention and at how excited they were about such a new experience.  They sat in little booster seats with their quilts and had sippy cups with ice water and gold fish for a snack.  They even sat through the credits - unbelievable!

When the girls were born, the main way we could tell them apart was by looking under their hats at their hair.  Evelyn was born with a full head of dark hair, and Naomi had peach fuzz.  In order to remember their names, my mom would say, "Naomi no hair".  It was not my favorite remembering device, but it certainly worked for those who were having trouble.  Well, today, we tried full pig tails for the first time, and I will hereby declare that "Naomi no hair" is no longer an appropriate term!  If you're having trouble remembering their names, you'll have to think of a new device - oh yeah!!  :)

The girls helped their Daddy wash the car today, and the cuteness was almost more than I could bear!

Here is a picture of me at 26 weeks pregnant.  Definitely getting bigger and feeling more uncomfortable lately.  I am having trouble sleeping at night just because I can't really get comfortable.  Otherwise, I am feeling well, and am getting so excited to meet this baby boy!

22 Months!

Today Naomi and Evelyn are 22 months old!  I cannot believe how incredibly close we are to having two-two year olds!  They are so busy all the time.  

They love to sing and dance, color, pretend to talk on the phone (into the most surprising devices, like quesadillas for example!), read, read, read, and play on their slide and in their tunnel.  They really enjoy going to the beach, to Target, story time, and breakfast with our sweet girl friends!  


My one friend Jana has a three year old named Abi, and my girls are completely obsessed with her.  They actually call all three year old girls "Abi"!  So sweet!

The girls are so much fun right now, they repeat everything we say - even when we don't realize they're listening, and they're realizing how fun it is to say or do something just to make Mommy and Daddy laugh!  


They are becoming more and more opinionated about things, especially food - this makes most meals pretty interesting, and we're trying to be creative in order to be patient and to continue to teach them about eating healthfully.  I would say that the eating situation is probably the most challenging thing for me.  I have to pray a lot during meal times!


The girls were getting pretty impatient waiting on dinner the other night, so I let them "help" me make biscuits.  That little distraction was well worth the mess we had to clean up afterward!

We've had a really fun summer so far with the girls, and we're trying to soak in every minute of our time with them before the baby brother arrives.  


I love watching the girls learn and grow and mature each day, but with that comes the reminder of how quickly time passes. 


Happy 22 months to my baby girls - here's to 22 months of parenting with my favorite guy!

A New Little Lee!

The biggest, sweetest reason I haven't had time to write on my blog!

I am pregnant!  We found out at the end of February, and we are thrilled!  I was almost constantly nauseated for about 15 weeks.  It was exhausting for me to feel so bad and to try and take care of the girls everyday, so blogging and a lot of other things (like laundry for example) had to be put on the back burner :).  

Big Sisters!  I made these onesies for the girls to announce our big news at my birthday party in March.  I think they are the cutest pair of big sisters ever!

Our first ultra sound - just one baby in there this time, and we couldn't be more excited!  We had so many ultra sounds with the girls, it has been strange to have had to wait so long to get to take a peek and see this little one.  Our next ultra sound is on July 3 - we will get to find out if we're having a boy or a girl.  It's fun to hear everyone's guesses on this.  We'd love to have a boy, but we know the joy of having little girls, so either way we're just excited!

Almost 10 Weeks, just starting to show a little!

17 Weeks, definitely showing!

20 Weeks this week, halfway there, livin' on a prayer!  


Overall, I have been feeling really great!  A pregnancy with one baby is just so different than a multiple pregnancy.  My weight gain has been very gradual, and overall, this has been much easier on my body.  I am having some pelvic pain again, and my midwife has suggested that I get a pregnancy support belt.  I resisted this during my pregnancy with the girls, but I am pretty sure that I will be getting one this time.  It got so bad with the girls that I wasn't able to walk sometimes!  This is not really an option when trying to keep up with 21 month old twins.  :) 


We are so excited about this new little one!  The excitement is much different than it was with the girls. I guess that's because we have lived through 21 months with the girls, and we know all of the wonderful things that are in store for us with this sweet baby.  

The Music of Our Family

I was washing dishes one evening last week and Patrick was playing with the girls.  After a bit, he got his guitar out and started entertaining his little fan club!  


I was so glad to have captured this on video - oh, and Patrick would probably appreciate the disclaimer that he is actually a drummer and that he has been teaching himself how to play guitar on and off for the past couple of years - disclaimer, schmisclaimer, I think he's fantastic!!

So, as I was watching the girls dancing to their Daddy's music, I started thinking about how uninhibited they are right now in the way they respond to the music. 


Then I started to pray, to hope in a very deep part of me that they will always love the music of our family.  I want them to always just enjoy being in the presence of their Mom and Dad and of each other.  I pray that we will do our very best to love and respect them and to develop these relationships in such a way that we can dance together for always. 


As I type this out, I realize that this may sound idealistic.  I know that kids naturally go through phases where their friends are more important to them than their family.  I am sure that our girls will be embarrassed by us, have bad arguments with us, and rebel against us at one time or another, and we'll work through that with God's help.  What I am hoping for is a depth of love and character that will surround who we are as a family that we will dance to one another's music without holding back.  


Oh, Lord, give us the grace, patience, compassion, and joy that it will take in the years to come to maintain a solid family.  Let this music of our family be what binds us together in You forever.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Do you feel loved?

From time to time throughout our relationship, Patrick will ask me the question, "Do you feel loved?".  It is usually after we have been through a difficult time or maybe after he has done something special for me. 


It is a question that warms up my heart and almost always makes me well up with tears.

When the girls were born, it wasn't long until Patrick started whispering the question, "Do you feel loved?" into their tiny ears.  


Each time I hear him say this to them, I feel washed over in this wave of love.


I guess the question is a reminder of the sweet intention and concern in his heart that we know how much he loves us.  It's such a simple question, but it seems to actually be at our foundation, maybe a question that will be a part of our family's heritage.

This simple question, asked of we girls by our husband and father, will be a part of who we are.  We must allow this care and concern to be buried deep in our hearts, we must ask this of all of the people around us.  It can be the question that helps us to decide how we're going to treat one another and how we will treat our extended family and community.  


I began this blog post in such a sweet and lovey state of mind.  I saved the first part of it because the girls woke up from their naps, and within the couple of hours since saving the draft, Patrick and I got into an argument.  


So, I came back to the blog very hesitantly.  I am here now writing without the lovey dovey feelings, but I felt that it was important to come back and to finish - maybe as a test of the love question I was talking about. 


Do I still feel loved?  Yes, I do.  I come back to this post still somehow knowing that I am loved and knowing that this question is woven very deeply into the fabric of the family that Patrick and I have built together. 

I guess the bigger question is this:  Do you know that you are loved first by your Heavenly Father?  Do you know that His love is perfect and is the love that will remain no matter how you feel?


I am reminded as I write these questions of how important it is to pray for confidence and trust in God's perfect love for us.  


1 John 4:18 (The Message)
God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we're free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ's. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.  

Animal Sounds and Leafy Distractions

We have had some gorgeous weather over the past week, so the girls and I have been taking advantage and getting outside as much as possible.

Here is a little video of me attempting to get them to say their animal sounds!

I was away for five days last week visiting our best friends out in Seattle.  I swear that the girls' vocabulary and ability to mimic increased a hundred fold while I was gone.

I sure did love getting to be with our friends and their new little love, but I missed my girls so much.  It's good to be home!