Do you have a lucky number? I think many people have one number they feel is their favorite because it has brought them luck in the past, for spiritual reasons or it reminds them of some life experience. Well, I have always thought that my favorite number was 7 like many people, but my adult life has been centered around the number 2. Here are a few examples:
During my college career, I attended not one, but two colleges.
In August 2002, my husband and I got married and also bought our first home. (Two very stressful life events that I would NEVER recommend doing at the same time.)
We bought not one, but two puppies - Sydney & Blayney - two days in a row. (We got Sydney, she cried all night and then the following day, we went back for Blayney.)
I have lived in two states - Ohio and Florida.
We have twins - TWO girls.
I may have a split personality - one nice, one mean. (This is self diagnosed, so it may not be true. It could just be hormones...)
So, what brought all this up today? Well, as a dedicated mama who is constantly trying to smash as much knowledge into my little 19 month old's brains (can we say pressure?), I have been teaching my little ones to count. Okay, c'mon, now! I know they aren't going to be mathematicians anytime soon (especially considering the gene pool they inherited), but it can't hurt trying to get them to learn algebra or calculus before they go to pre-school. I want them to be prepared for learning, right? Just kidding.
We are practicing how to count to 5 right now and if we get that down, we will shoot for 10. But what is cracking me up is they really have figured out 2. If I start off saying, "oooonnne...", they both chime in, "twwwoooo...". So, I say, "thhhreeee....". They come back with, "twwooooo..." They love the number 2. They pick up cardboard numbers and count them all as 2. I hear them counting by themselves and it is a garble of baby babble and then in perfect, clear voices, they say, "two."
Two. The number to live by. The number that resonates in my memory and circles around in my present. My two little girls showing me the power of 2. There is such a power to the number 2.
How could 2 be more powerful than lucky number 7 or scary number 13? Here is what I think: Two represents a relationship. There is power in our marriage, in friendships, in our family relationships and in our walk with Christ. Two reminds us that it isn't about what society as a whole says or doesn't water down our thoughts like a group can. Two people build each other up and share intimate moments together. They help each other, they work together and they have a trust that is strong. No other number can boast this special bond.
And that is why I love hearing ,"twwoooo!" all day long. My little girls share a special bond as twins and I share a special bond individually with them as their mother. We may be a family of four but our individual 2's are what will always keep us strong.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Promising Pieces
Ever heard the story about the church with the windows that continued to break? The church suffered vandals and storms to see the beautifully colored windows of the building destroyed each time. Finally, the church couldn't afford anymore new windows as their treasury had run dry. Distraught, the pastor and elders of the church thought they would be forced to close the doors since it wasn't suitable for usage without windows to block the elements of the weather. That is, until one person began picking up the shattered pieces laying all over the floor and began fitting those colored shards of glass together into something more beautiful than the congregation had ever seen...a stained glass window.
That is how I feel my family's life is like right now. We have been trying very hard to move in to our new home, get settled, baby proof so the girls can enjoy where they are living, remodel, start new jobs, etc. Just when we think we have repaired our "windows" some sort of oppressive force comes and shatters them. And as hard as we are trying, these issues have made it very difficult and stressful for everyone involved.
Last week, it was the wind. It whipped through the Midwest like a bully wreaking havoc on homes, personal property and trees. Hundreds of thousands of people were without power and we were amongst this lucky bunch. Like I posted earlier, we were forced to stay with family until we regained power and thus this put us back many days without making progress on our new living arrangement.
Once moved in, we began to get settled, but quickly our lives have changed again as I am now babysitting. On Friday, our new little one came and now that is a process of socializing three very young children who believe that only they should be the center of my universe. He is twelve months old and since my girls are nineteen months old it is definitely a challenge, but we are working hard to make it work.
The following day, my daughter, Jelly Bean, began throwing up and didn't stop until Sunday morning. Right when she stopped throwing up, Peanut started. It was a great time. At one point in the middle of the night, as I was frantically trying to find clean clothes & blankets, she began saying, "Sorry....Sorry..." (I was saying it to her as I was rocking her because she was crying from being sick so much, but to hear your child say it back after they have thrown up, well, it broke my heart.)
Finally by that evening the girls seem to be better, but then my husband & I came down with the nasty little bug and have both barely eaten since Sunday. Fortunately for the girls although the symptoms were harsh, it ended quickly. The adult version is nausea, weakness and lasts forever.
Crack, crack! Windows breaking everywhere. When can we catch a break? What is this adversity that seems to be upon us right now? Why isn't this move working out the way that we expected?
Well, I have a theory. I have been trying to do it alone. I haven't sought the help of the one source that controls everything and can provide me and my family the protection that it needs. I haven't been relying on God to handle everything and calm my heart when things don't go the way that I planned. God's plan is perfect and I haven't allowed Him to do His work in my life and in my family's lives.
So what do I do with all these broken pieces? Do I give it all up and run back to my old life? I have to walk away, but only to let God in to put the pieces back together. He knows there is hope laying all around me. Right now, the pieces are up in the air, floating around like small promises of a life that will come together. And if I let the Master Craftsman do His job arranging them, then I know the result will be simply breathtaking.
That is how I feel my family's life is like right now. We have been trying very hard to move in to our new home, get settled, baby proof so the girls can enjoy where they are living, remodel, start new jobs, etc. Just when we think we have repaired our "windows" some sort of oppressive force comes and shatters them. And as hard as we are trying, these issues have made it very difficult and stressful for everyone involved.
Last week, it was the wind. It whipped through the Midwest like a bully wreaking havoc on homes, personal property and trees. Hundreds of thousands of people were without power and we were amongst this lucky bunch. Like I posted earlier, we were forced to stay with family until we regained power and thus this put us back many days without making progress on our new living arrangement.
Once moved in, we began to get settled, but quickly our lives have changed again as I am now babysitting. On Friday, our new little one came and now that is a process of socializing three very young children who believe that only they should be the center of my universe. He is twelve months old and since my girls are nineteen months old it is definitely a challenge, but we are working hard to make it work.
The following day, my daughter, Jelly Bean, began throwing up and didn't stop until Sunday morning. Right when she stopped throwing up, Peanut started. It was a great time. At one point in the middle of the night, as I was frantically trying to find clean clothes & blankets, she began saying, "Sorry....Sorry..." (I was saying it to her as I was rocking her because she was crying from being sick so much, but to hear your child say it back after they have thrown up, well, it broke my heart.)
Finally by that evening the girls seem to be better, but then my husband & I came down with the nasty little bug and have both barely eaten since Sunday. Fortunately for the girls although the symptoms were harsh, it ended quickly. The adult version is nausea, weakness and lasts forever.
Crack, crack! Windows breaking everywhere. When can we catch a break? What is this adversity that seems to be upon us right now? Why isn't this move working out the way that we expected?
Well, I have a theory. I have been trying to do it alone. I haven't sought the help of the one source that controls everything and can provide me and my family the protection that it needs. I haven't been relying on God to handle everything and calm my heart when things don't go the way that I planned. God's plan is perfect and I haven't allowed Him to do His work in my life and in my family's lives.
So what do I do with all these broken pieces? Do I give it all up and run back to my old life? I have to walk away, but only to let God in to put the pieces back together. He knows there is hope laying all around me. Right now, the pieces are up in the air, floating around like small promises of a life that will come together. And if I let the Master Craftsman do His job arranging them, then I know the result will be simply breathtaking.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Hiatus: Part Deux
We received word that our power is back on at our house! Whoo Hoo! Now, we have to pack everything up and move back in tonight...Ugghh!
Due to the power outages, our internet installation was cancelled this week, so I will be unable to write more until we can get another appointment. I hope to be back online again very soon so I can bring more information to my 'Bringing Up Twins' readers and check out my favorite blogs, too!
Talk to you all again soon! Please don't forget about me!
Due to the power outages, our internet installation was cancelled this week, so I will be unable to write more until we can get another appointment. I hope to be back online again very soon so I can bring more information to my 'Bringing Up Twins' readers and check out my favorite blogs, too!
Talk to you all again soon! Please don't forget about me!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The Wind
It never seems like anything goes like planned. I should know better by now that whatever I think is going to happen, will probably turn out completely the opposite. Well, it happened this weekend.
We moved into our new home last Tuesday night. It is a makeshift operation right now as I have been going through boxes, cleaning and trying to baby proof our new home. Did I mention that we are also re-doing several rooms? It has been absolutely crazy! So, what could make things even more stressful?
On Sunday, I thought it would be a good day to go back to my Mom's and get a few more things that we had to leave behind. Plus, I knew my Mom would want to see the girls. We left in the morning and it was a beautiful, sunny day. I thought it would be perfect to load up our truck with some remaining furniture. We arrived to our destination without any problems and visited with family for a couple hours. During this time, the sunny day had turned quite cloudy and we noticed that the wind had picked up a great deal.
When we looked out the back window, we realized that the wind was out of control. The entire backyard was littered with branches from Mom's trees. Leaves, branches and other debris would suddenly hit the windows in strong gusts. We also saw roof shingles scattered all over the neighborhood. The remains of Hurricane Ike had reared his ugly head in Ohio.
The wind continued for hours with periodic gusts that were quite strong and reminded me of hurricane weather when my husband and I lived in Florida. (We were around for Charlie, Francis, Jeanne, etc. in the summer of 2004.)
After all was said and done, there was a lot of damage along with about 700,000 customers without electricity in the Cincinnati area and almost 200,000 customers in Dayton without electricity. (Reports say that Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky all experienced damage and outtages.)
The girls and I were forced to stay at my Mom's and have stayed here because our new home doesn't have electricity either and since we have a well we are without water, too. Joy! Luckily Mom's electricity was restored yesterday thus the reason that I can even write this post.
My husband has since joined us and now we live the way we did prior to last Tuesday. Waiting for the opportunity to continue to get our new lives on track.
We moved into our new home last Tuesday night. It is a makeshift operation right now as I have been going through boxes, cleaning and trying to baby proof our new home. Did I mention that we are also re-doing several rooms? It has been absolutely crazy! So, what could make things even more stressful?
On Sunday, I thought it would be a good day to go back to my Mom's and get a few more things that we had to leave behind. Plus, I knew my Mom would want to see the girls. We left in the morning and it was a beautiful, sunny day. I thought it would be perfect to load up our truck with some remaining furniture. We arrived to our destination without any problems and visited with family for a couple hours. During this time, the sunny day had turned quite cloudy and we noticed that the wind had picked up a great deal.
When we looked out the back window, we realized that the wind was out of control. The entire backyard was littered with branches from Mom's trees. Leaves, branches and other debris would suddenly hit the windows in strong gusts. We also saw roof shingles scattered all over the neighborhood. The remains of Hurricane Ike had reared his ugly head in Ohio.
The wind continued for hours with periodic gusts that were quite strong and reminded me of hurricane weather when my husband and I lived in Florida. (We were around for Charlie, Francis, Jeanne, etc. in the summer of 2004.)
After all was said and done, there was a lot of damage along with about 700,000 customers without electricity in the Cincinnati area and almost 200,000 customers in Dayton without electricity. (Reports say that Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky all experienced damage and outtages.)
The girls and I were forced to stay at my Mom's and have stayed here because our new home doesn't have electricity either and since we have a well we are without water, too. Joy! Luckily Mom's electricity was restored yesterday thus the reason that I can even write this post.
My husband has since joined us and now we live the way we did prior to last Tuesday. Waiting for the opportunity to continue to get our new lives on track.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Hiatus!
Attention: Bringing Up Twins readers!!
I will take a short break here at Bringing Up Twins beginning tomorrow and will return on Monday, September 15th due to my family's move. Please check back next week for more exciting information and resources for parents/parents-to-be of twins, young children and new posts from the "Looking Back" series.
See ya next week!
I will take a short break here at Bringing Up Twins beginning tomorrow and will return on Monday, September 15th due to my family's move. Please check back next week for more exciting information and resources for parents/parents-to-be of twins, young children and new posts from the "Looking Back" series.
See ya next week!
In The Middle
The girls and I strolled down the edge of the street and entered the park. It had been a week since we have had the opportunity to visit it and it was amazing to see the change that had taken place. Just weeks ago, I could find parents with their children climbing on the playground equipment and people playing tennis or basketball on the courts. Summer had been in full swing and it was obvious by the activity and the sweltering temperatures.
But today was different. The air was much cooler and the park was barren. No one was in sight with the exception of a few grounds workers way off in the distance. There were no children there to contend with on the baby swings and I couldn't hear the sound of a basketball hitting the pavement. Even though the calendar says differently, summer has officially ended. All of the kids are back in school and those lazy days of summer have been replaced with school buses and crisp mornings.
Fall is absolutely my favorite season of the year. I love the coolness of the air and the beautifully colored leaves of the Midwest. It is the most comfortable weather and what follows is an exciting time of harvest, Thanksgiving and then Christmas. I know that good times lay ahead, but there is a part of me that starts to get sad. And it is right at this time.
Walking through the desserted park made me realize that transition time was upon us. The fun times of summer were fading away and would be distant memories. Even though the future held promises of more good times, we aren't quite there yet. I remember it being that way when I was in school. I knew that the school year would bring fun things, but the change from summer to fall was so hard on me.
Life is like that, too. My life is getting ready to change again. Today, we are officially moving into our new home and things will be different. The special times of living with my Mom and near my family with my two little babies is coming to a close and soon my husband, my girls, the dogs and I will live in our new home. I am very excited about having our own place and raising our girls where we are moving to, there is no doubt about that. I know we are embarking on more happy memories and special times. But like my school days, this part, the transition period, is so hard on me.
I don't mind change so much (we have moved 11 times over the past 8 years), but the time between the change is so hard. There is packing, moving, change of environment, change of routine, new activities, new people and I am praying that the girls will adjust quickly because that will add a whole new eliment to the process. I know that we all will eventually adjust and "our new life" will just become "our life."
But like the park, I feel desserted and barren. I am wrapping up old memories and placing them in boxes. My memories of what the girls looked like three months ago is quite foggy already. I imagine what they will look like by Christmas, but that still seems so far away. There is so much to do in order to get back to normal. Waiting for Fall...
But today was different. The air was much cooler and the park was barren. No one was in sight with the exception of a few grounds workers way off in the distance. There were no children there to contend with on the baby swings and I couldn't hear the sound of a basketball hitting the pavement. Even though the calendar says differently, summer has officially ended. All of the kids are back in school and those lazy days of summer have been replaced with school buses and crisp mornings.
Fall is absolutely my favorite season of the year. I love the coolness of the air and the beautifully colored leaves of the Midwest. It is the most comfortable weather and what follows is an exciting time of harvest, Thanksgiving and then Christmas. I know that good times lay ahead, but there is a part of me that starts to get sad. And it is right at this time.
Walking through the desserted park made me realize that transition time was upon us. The fun times of summer were fading away and would be distant memories. Even though the future held promises of more good times, we aren't quite there yet. I remember it being that way when I was in school. I knew that the school year would bring fun things, but the change from summer to fall was so hard on me.
Life is like that, too. My life is getting ready to change again. Today, we are officially moving into our new home and things will be different. The special times of living with my Mom and near my family with my two little babies is coming to a close and soon my husband, my girls, the dogs and I will live in our new home. I am very excited about having our own place and raising our girls where we are moving to, there is no doubt about that. I know we are embarking on more happy memories and special times. But like my school days, this part, the transition period, is so hard on me.
I don't mind change so much (we have moved 11 times over the past 8 years), but the time between the change is so hard. There is packing, moving, change of environment, change of routine, new activities, new people and I am praying that the girls will adjust quickly because that will add a whole new eliment to the process. I know that we all will eventually adjust and "our new life" will just become "our life."
But like the park, I feel desserted and barren. I am wrapping up old memories and placing them in boxes. My memories of what the girls looked like three months ago is quite foggy already. I imagine what they will look like by Christmas, but that still seems so far away. There is so much to do in order to get back to normal. Waiting for Fall...
Monday, September 8, 2008
A New Resource for Mamas!
Attention all Mamas and Mamas to be! From the makers of Similac (Abbott Laboratories) comes a new site for mothers and their babies with resources and information. At similac.com, you can find information about:
* Pregnancy
* Mom & Baby
* Tips & Advice
* Feeding & Nutrition
* Products
* Tools
While you are there, check out their products and the new package design of their formula. The new product is called "SimplePac."
Want a new nursery? Register to win a $10,000 custom designed nursery for your baby by Ty Pennington, host of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition! Just submit a 100 word explanation of why you deserve a new nursery for your baby. The contest starts today!
* Pregnancy
* Mom & Baby
* Tips & Advice
* Feeding & Nutrition
* Products
* Tools
While you are there, check out their products and the new package design of their formula. The new product is called "SimplePac."
Want a new nursery? Register to win a $10,000 custom designed nursery for your baby by Ty Pennington, host of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition! Just submit a 100 word explanation of why you deserve a new nursery for your baby. The contest starts today!
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