Screaming match with a bull rider.

Time has flown since school started, and we've been so busy! With everyday routines being as busy as they are with the girls and Daniel having shoulder surgery last month(not rotator), I'm exhausted. Still loving every minute of our lives, but "TI-RED"!
Both girls have learned to roll all over the place, sit up, and rock back and forth on their hands and knees. Hayden now has her first tooth just barely poking through her sweet gums! No more gummy smiles- just teefy ones. It's funny how the girls switch roles. People ask me all the time which baby is more difficult, and I just tell them it depends on the day. Addison has pretty much been the more laid back daughter while Hayden required a little more attention. It didn't take long for Addison to take on that role. I have found now it's easier on my nerves when I take Hayden out first every afternoon when we get home. She doesn't fuss like Addison does in the afternoon. Now, our afternoon routine is to all have a snack together. Then, the girls play for a little bit while I get our dinner ready and breakfast and lunch ready for the next day. One thing remains the same about the girls is that they LOVE each other and lately, they think they are pretty funny! Our friends let us borrow a "Johnny Jump Up" and we had a gift card to buy another one. We have them hanging in close proximity of each other. Hayden begins jumping immediately, but Addison isn't as coordinated. It takes her a minute to get warmed up. Hayden holds on with one hand while the other one flings in the air. My little bull rider! She also likes to scream and wait for a response. So, I scream back, and she screams back at me. She thinks it's so fun. All the while, Addison is simply excited to be jumping. (I'll try to post a video of them jumping this weekend.)

Thank you, Lord, for these blessings!

You big dummy!

After reading a friend's blop update, I was remeinded of the man I encountered at the post office the other day. Let me begin by saying I have 5 month old TWINS so I am not the skinniest mom out there post pregnancy. I was waiting in line to buy some stamps and had the girls with me. The man looked at me and said, "Your children will be close in age, huh?" I replied (thinking Hello!! They're twins!) "Yes, they're twins so they are only one minute apart. He said, "No, I meant them and the one you're expecting." First of all, isn't there some rule out there that all men just understand you do NOT ask a woman about pregnancy. Period. Secondly, I know I'm not the super model I NEVER used to be. And lastly, well, I don't have a lastly, but you don't ask a woman about her pregnancy that she may or may not be going through. I'll go running now...

Whew!

Boy, how fast the last five months have flown by! I love my girls to pieces and could not imagine life without them. I know Daniel and I didn't sit around and twittle our thumbs before we knew we were expecting or before they were born, but for the life of me, I can't remember what we did. Now, we wake up by 6 or 7 every morning to feed the girls who eat like they haven't eaten in a week. Daniel heads off to work, and it's just me and the girls for the rest of the day. The hours of 4-6 have become our "hold on 'til Daddy gets home" hours. I've been told those are the witching hours-don't really know why. Maybe because Mommy looks like a witch from pulling out her hair or crying with babies as they cry. Either way, we are loving life these days. Just an update from last month, (my apologies for any repeats for I don't always remember what I've posted previously) Hayden now rolls over from tummy to back, but doen't know how to roll from back to tummy yet. This is fine with me except for at 2 a.m. when she is flapping her arms and legs like a turtle upside down in the middle of a busy street. I go in her room to help her out and almost always get a giggle out of her; almost as if she meant to roll over so she could get me to come in there. Way to go Hay Hay! It works. Now, as for Addison, she has started pushing up on all fours. She knows she can do something else besides roll over so she has started moving her feet as she pushes up, but can't quite figure out how to move her feet and push up all the way at the same time. I'm new at all of this parenting stuff, but I think we may have a creeper soon. Yikes! Better make sure we are baby proofed at the house. Both girls have really begun to "talk" a lot lately. It's fun to watch them talk to each other. Even though there are no words yet, I still believe there's some serious conversation going on! Love these two rugginrats!

Praying!

I've always considered prayer as an important part of my everyday routine. I'm ashamed to say that sometimes it was just that-routine. I don't want to take my conversations with God for granted so this week I am going to make a conscious effort to remember to pray for people and their situations. I plan on doing this by stopping to pray for them as they come to my mind throughout the day. I will begin by praying for a person who holds a special place in my heart. I've never met this person, but I know he was very special to those who did know him. You see, he was only 3 months old. That is only a few weeks younger than my girls. I am not going to mention his name out of respect for the family, but I would like for you to join with me in prayer for this sweet little man who struggled to breathe almost daily and had seizures regularly among other struggles. He no longer has these struggles as he is probably sitting in the lap of Jesus right now. Please pray with me for his family who misses him dearly.

Mother...

...Lover! I sure do love my moma and couldn't pass up the opportunity to write a little blurb about her and the other amazing women in my life! I must admit that I've not always had a very close relationship with Moma, but what teenage girl does? Now that I'm older, teach children, and have children, I have a new found respect for my mom. She has never said to us, "One day you'll understand-when you have children of your own." I'm pretty sure she thought it many times, though. I do understand, Moma, the love you have for me and Madz. I'm beginning to understand the hurt you felt when we hurt, and I'm sure I'll understand sooner than later that it really does "hurt you more than me" when correcting or disciplining your children. For all of that, I am extremely thankful. Thank you for loving me when it seemed like I didn't love you. Thank you for sacrificing yourself in order to provide things for me and Madz as we grew up. Thank you for teaching me self control, respect for others, and respect for myself. Thank you for taking things away from me as a form of discipline, and thank you for sticking to your guns in that discipline. Most of all, thank you for raising us in church!!!

You see, my mom and I (and Madz) talk to each other DAILY! Yes, daily. Even if it is just to call and say "I love you", we talk every day. One night this week, Moma and I were talking (as I was cleaning under my washing machine), and somehow we got on the subject of prayer. What a powerful subject to talk to your mom about!! We both confessed to each other that we have thought for a long time that your prayers have to use big words and be very eloquent. Over the years and through certain circumstances in our lives, we've learned that you don't even have to have your eyes closed when talking to Jesus! At least, we better not have our eyes closed when talking to Jesus while driving down the road!! That's a far cry from what we previously thought about prayer.  We also revealed to each other how we knew Jesus always answered prayers, but we have never experienced it so personally until just recently. I told her of a very recent experience I had with a prayer being answered. I was returning from a trip to Tuscaloosa a few weeks ago when Hayden had begun to cry with about 15 miles to go. No wait! Not cry- SCREAM! She was hungry and tired of being in the car. I had sung every hymn that I could think of until she'd had enough and continued to scream through my singing. I did the only other thing I knew to do. I called Daniel and asked him to go in the girls' room, kneel beside Hayden's bed and "pray me home". He never hesitated. Five minutes after I hung up the phone, SILENCE! Thank you Lord!!!

During our times of "trying", Daniel and I had some dark days for sure, but we never lost hope because God's word says He has plans for us to prosper. Why would He say that if He didn't mean it? He wouldn't! So, how did we get through those dark days you ask? PRAYER!!! I can remember (prepare to laugh out loud) days when Satan was after me, and I'd do what I call a Jesus dance in the privacy of my home. The dance basically consisted of me kicking Satan out of my life. I'm sorry, but Jesus is here and there ain't no room for you, Satan!!! None at all. When Daniel and I would feel ourselves losing our grip on faith, we'd get on our knees before God asking Him to continue provide strength and patience. Time after time, He'd do just that! We'd also thank Him for answering our prayers- even the ones we had not yet voiced. So, you see, prayer is awesome!!!! I must give the credit to my amazing parents for being fearless and raising me in church. I also must thank the other women who continue to encourage us through life's roller coaster. We would not be where we are today without great Sunday School teachers and mentors. Thank you all so much for "praying us through".

Happy Mother's Day, Moma! Happy Mother's Day, Madz! This new mom loves you both very much!!!

Trashy...

This will be a pretty silly post, but I really do love trash day. I can't stand clutter. In fact, it makes me anxious. So I throw away things away a lot! I have been known to throw away a birthday check once. Sorry Oma! Thank goodness she loves me enough to write another one. She also loves me enough to write a sweet note that says "Don't throw this one away." Love that Oma!!! Anyway, back to why I really love trash day. It allows me the chance to throw away things that are cluttering up my house and I don't have to ask permission. If Daniel knew all of the things I threw away, I'd probably be in trouble. So, shhhh! Our little secret. Happy "trashy hump" day.

Vest free

This past Tuesday Granny and Pop came over to keep the girls while I went for a second opinion on my heart stuff. I went to a different cardiologist here in Jackson just to make sure the "plan" for improvement was the right thing to do and more specifically to ask about my ejection fraction and the vest I was wearing. Remember? The defribilator??? Well, turns out I don't have to wear the vest and my ejection fraction had improved!!! Not a great deal of improvement, but not stagnant either! Praise the Lord!!!

Whew!!!

It's certainly been a while since I've blogged. I'm hoping to keep up with it at least once a week. Even if it's something short and sweet each time. So, to catch things up- the baby girls have been born. What a glorious day February 20, 2012 was! Addison Ray came into this world weighing 7 lbs 10 oz at 10:53 a.m. and her sister, Hayden Banes wasn't far behind her. One minute to be exact- 10:54 and weighing 6 lbs 15 oz. Both are doing very well now at six weeks old. Six weeks passes very quickly just in case you didn't know. I was diagnosed with postpartum cardiomyopathy two days after we brought the girls home. I was admitted to ICU for two days, and now I wear a portable defibilator at all times. It's not fun, but there's a small chance that my heart could go into V-fib. I'm exercising daily and taking blood pressure medicines in order to get my heart back to normal function. Slowly but surely! Maybe tomorrow I'll find time to upload some pictures. For now, I'll say my prayers and catch some much needed "shut eye".