Twins
Heart Reflections: Giving from the Heart
The other day I had two pieces of left over wrapping paper from a baby shower gift that I gave to the girls to use. They were busy for about thirty minutes in the dining room talking and wrapping their goodies. Later I found out they had wrapped up a few small toys to give to a friend that they heard was moving because his parents were having financial problems. Now the girls didn’t really understand much about what type of the financial problems but they did understand that their friend was having to sell some of his toys because of the move and family situation. Without any prompting on mine or Jake’s part the girls carefully selected some special toys he would like (silly bands, match box cars, pencils, stickers, and a couple more items), wrapped them up, and brought the gifts in for us to see.
It was only when they brought us the completely wrapped gifts that we found out who they were planning on giving them to. My heart overflowed with joy to know that the girls were willing to part with a few treasured toys to help a friend in need. They were not just giving any toy, they were trying to find some of their favorite toys to give away.
How often to I unconditionally give of my best to others? Do I give from the heart or is it to receive notice or out of the feeling of obligation? The most wonderful gift comes from the heart with no strings attached much like the greatest gift we have ever been given. I am thankful for a Savior who gave his life for me and for girls who remind me of what it is like to give generously from the heart to those around us.
Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God
which He has given you. – Deuteronomy 16:17
Travel & Vacation: Places to Stay and Play in Charleston
We got Domino’s (they had a buy 1 pizza get 1 free coupon) and brought it back to the hotel to eat. The girls wanted to check out the pool so we ate by the pool then went swimming. The first night we stayed at the Holiday Inn in Mt Pleasant, it was literally a block away from Waterfront Park. It was a busy weekend with a lot baseball tournaments, American Idol tryouts, and a couple other community activities. We still had a blast together and Jake was able to get his work done as well. The biggest down side to this hotel is their breakfast was pretty expensive for families but there are plenty of restaurant chains nearby you can get a breakfast for a great price.
The girls enjoyed having some time to swim in the pool after a very hot day at the parks around town. Thankful for an opportunity to spend some time relaxing together as a family.
Baths were taken and pedicures were done so Karlie decided to take a few minutes to relax and snack in her bed before brushing her teeth and going to sleep. Glad the girls enjoy going on adventures and are flexible during the trips.
On one of our trips this summer I surprised the girls with bringing finger nail polish. It soon became a tradition when we went on a trip for me to bring a couple “wild” colors and all the girls get their fingernails and toenails painted the first evening in the hotel. The girls loved spending the time together and getting beautiful in the process. Sometimes it is the little things you do together that make the most impact.
We stayed at the Rodeway Hotel the second night of our trip to Charleston, it was literally across the street from the Holiday Inn so we didn’t have to go too far! I was so thrilled to see the girls confidence in the water increase over the past few months. They loved their noodles but were okay not having on their life jackets in the pool. The hotel had a really great hot breakfast every morning, plus ice cold lemonade any time of the day which was a huge hit with the hot kiddos!
The noodles were great in the water but I remember getting bopped with them several times outside of the pool. The girls were good about making sure to bring them to the pool but sometimes in the process of walking and talking the noodle was more like a weapon, ha!
We introduced the girls to the show “America’s Funniest Home Videos” on this trip. They thought it was hilarious and as you can see from this picture they were completely captivated by the show. Their favorites were the silly animal clips!
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Teaching Our Children: How to Celebrate Special Days (Wrapping Gifts & Writing Cards)
When a celebration is drawing near whether it is a Birthday or Holiday or Baby Shower or Wedding or just something fun the girls get excited. They LOVE wrapping gifts and writing cards. It is cute watching them pick out the perfect card, beautiful wrapping paper, special balloon, and diligently work on putting together their surprise. Sure they use a lot more tape, wrapping paper and the process can be messy but think about all the amazing opportunities you have to teach your child during it.
- The Joy of Giving to others
- How to wrap a gift with wrapping paper, in a gift bag, and adding the additional bling (ribbons, small gifts, etc…) to it
- Hand Eye Coordination Skills with the cutting, taping, and folding
- Creativity with wrapping and writing the card
- Thinking of others
- Measuring
- Shapes
- Sharing with someone else
- Sizes and how they fit into a bag or how much paper they will need
- And Many More
I let them each pick out their own wrapping paper to use. It was a looked a little more like “Christmas” Holiday wrapping paper but that’s what they wanted and it was their gift to give away. As you can see she picked out a special “treat” gift as well! I am amazed at how much more efficient they have become even in the last year with wrapping. Yes, we still have the occasional – “Mom, I didn’t cut the wrapping paper big enough” but overall they are getting better at the process as a whole. (I’ve even had problems not cutting the paper big enough!)
Many times the girls will write not only a note in a card to someone but also draw and color a picture for them. They really do put a lot of heart and thought into the cards and gifts. It is really neat to see how much they care for others and enjoy doing it. To them wrapping and card writing is almost as good (maybe better some days) than doing a craft. Thankful for their willingness to be a blessing to others both family and friends.
Loosening My Grip: Why Can’t I Get Pregnant? (Part 4)
You can read “Why Can’t I Get Pregnant” Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3 in case you missed it.
As my journey continued I was encouraged by friends, began to rely more on prayer, allowed God to loosen my grip on that which I held onto so tightly.
Multiple Blessings
Shortly after taking the pregnancy test we called the fertility doctor and I went in for blood work that week. That afternoon they called me back and wanted me to come back in to do some more blood work and an ultrasound. I asked what was wrong with the blood work from earlier and they informed me that my counts were higher than they expected. Of course they reassured me that there was nothing to be concerned about but I still had a vice gripping at my heart…..what if…..somethings wrong…..was this what God was preparing us for……. Jake went with me to the doctor, they did more blood work, and then I went in for the ultrasound. The technician quickly found the baby’s heartbeat and showed us our little one and as she moved over a little bit we noticed a second heartbeat and another baby. WHAT!? The technician said she needed to check and see if there was a third baby and Jake said I gripped his hand tightly and my face went white. Thankfully God knows exactly what we can handle and give me two beautiful babies. I praise him for this amazing answer to prayer in my life. It was a character developing process to get to this point but little did I know that God was not done with me yet.
The Heartache Was Real
As I look back I can still sense the pain and heartache that I went through over those years earnestly praying for children. God chose to answer our prayers but after much pruning in both of our lives. When I first went to God asking for a child my whole hand was gripped around having a child and he had to loosen my grip one finger at a time. There were times it was very painful and I didn’t want to let go but slowly I did and after all the heartache the blessings were even more numerous than I could ever imagined. The timing God chose was perfect in many aspects of our lives including our jobs to insurance to family situation and more. God not only answered my specific prayers he also revealed his perfect timing in our lives.
Questions
Here are some of the questions I found myself struggling with during this time in my life:
- Why Can’t I Get Pregnant?
- What’s Wrong with Me?
- Why Would God Give Me this Desire and Not Fulfill It?
- Is God Going to Answer My Prayers?
- Does God Hear Me?
- Am I Not Good Enough to be Mom?
If you are going through the heartache and asking yourself any of these questions and/or more my heart and prayers go out to you. I know it hurts. There are more people than you realize who are going through a similar situation.
You Are Not Alone
I want to let you know, You Are NOT ALONE! Many couples experience similar journeys. Take time to pray and share with your close family, friends, and mentors. Allow them to come alongside you and pray with you. God can work a miracle in our lives if we let go of those specific items we are holding onto so tightly. Not only is His timing truly amazing he has something special planned for your life and for the lives of your children. My heart and prayers go out to you and if I could reach through the computer and give you a hug I would do it in a heartbeat. It’s okay to cry, talk about it, and slowly start loosening your grip so you can see what amazing plans God has for your life.
This concludes my “Why Can’t I Get Pregnant?” series, however, stayed tuned for the next Loosening My Grip series.
A little bit more about the Loosening My Grip series
Looking back over the last few years it is much easier to see God’s perfect timing. It was painful waiting, having people constantly ask questions, going to the doctor, praying, dealing with the emotions, and feeling like God didn’t even care.
After much prayer and resistance I have decided to start my “Loosening My Grip” series. I came up with the theme and idea more than a year ago. Every time I start to write a little more on this topic I decide to just not do it. Why?
- It is personal
- I still struggle with many issues in my life and continue to learn of more areas that I need to loosen my grip on
- The feeling of inadequacy to write on the topic
- No one else probably has these issues nor would they want to read about mine
God has been working overtime on me to do it even though my flesh says stay away from certain areas. It is difficult writing about those topics that are really near and dear to our hearts. Most likely the series will not always go in chronological order because I am writing the topics as God lays them on my heart to write. Maybe there is someone out there that has experienced similar struggles or is currently going through this situation in their life. I hope to be an encouragement to you. I want you know that you’re not alone; we have strength and support from a God that is so much bigger than any one of us.
Loosening My Grip is a series on areas in my life I am learning to let go of slowly. Several months ago I was studying Jonah and one of the phrases popped out at me was “Whatever you are holding on to in this life, hold it loosely so it won’t hurt when the Lord has to pry your fingers open to take it away.” I have found that in some areas God has had to pry my fingers off of whatever I am holding onto one finger at a time. There are areas in my life that I feel like I need control over and hold onto them tightly when God really has something so much more beautiful in store for me. I have been learning how to let go and hold onto things more loosely so God can do His work in my life.
Photo by Downstairs Dev
Travel & Vacation: Enjoying Charleston’s Piers
The boats are getting loaded up at the end of the pier.
They would run down the sand picking up pieces to eat and then would run back up the beach when the wave came in. It was neat to watch the wave of crabs running back and forth. We were standing on the edge of the pier these little crabs were scurrying back and forth with the tide coming in. The girls thought it was hilarious.
Love seeing the thoughtfulness and compassion in this sweet girl. She truly does care about others and wants everyone to have fun together.
Karlie noticed that Brina and I were still coming up the pier so she decided to check out what we were up to. When did my babies grown up? So excited yet sad to see how much they have changed even over the past year.
The girls thought it was a little scary at the end of the pier, but thought it was super cool looking at the bridge.
The girls had a race down the pier. They were running and giggling the whole way. It’s amazing how educational and entertaining time at the pier can be for the kids!
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Travel & Vacation: Great Parks in the Charleston, SC Area
We found a cute little park on Daniel’s Island, SC with a lot of shade and water fountains (thankfully since it was over 107 and humid that day) only a couple miles down the road from where Jake was working. This was the most entertaining part on the whole jungle gym! It was a moving bridge! You could get on it at one location of the jungle gym and either have someone push you across or you could stand at other side and spin a wheel that pulls you across to the other side of the jungle gym. The girls (and Mommy) where fascinated by this cool moving bridge and it provided quite a bit of entertainment for all of us!
Karlie thought this wall in the park was awesome! She would climb up, sit for a few minutes watching everyone and talk anyone nearby then get down. I think she liked being up higher and over looking the park!
She thought it was hilarious going through the random tunnels and would giggle when she “caught” me watching at her! So sneaky!
These bubble blowers were such a HUGE hit! It was so cute seeing Brina just checking out it’s face, it really was a bug friend to her!
I tried to find these again this year but they must have sold out. When you blow through the tail of the dragon fly the silver wings spin and a lot of bubbles come out of the dragon fly’s mouth.
This was shortly before a wave of bubbles came my way. Brina thought it was awesome blowing dragonfly bubbles my direction!
The Waterfront Park under the Arthur Ravenel Bridge is one of our favorite parks to hang out at in Charleston. It always has shade from the bridge and has very clean restrooms and a cold water fountain.
The Waterfront park is a great place to hang out before going into Downtown Charleston. You can play in the park, walk on the pier, enjoy ice cream from the snack shop or watch free movies in the evenings during the summer months.
Brina and Karlie taking a few minutes to cool down and talk while sitting on the slide. They thought it was such a cool place to sit!
Karlie content to relax for a few moments against the boat’s railing. This little park is in front of the Information Center for Daniel’s Island right next to a pier. The girls really liked this park even though it did not have a lot of shade, a restroom or water fountain they still requested to go to this park to walk the pier and “pet” their turtle friends.
The girls thought it was very cool having the boat in the park.
Karlie is laughing at Daddy, while Brina and Daddy look at the camera. The girls thought this park was so much fun that they had to take Daddy by to check it out too!
An inside shot of the boat. The girls and Daddy were having a fun decision about boats by the time I got their. Jake had to be melting that day, it was well over 100 degrees and he was in pants and a long sleeved shirt. Thankfully he was okay going to the “turtle park” to have a picnic with his girls over lunch despite the heat.
They named each turtle and every time we go back they catch on their friends.
Karlie and Brina on the top for the jungle gym at a park across from one of the Daniel Island schools. I was thankful for the higher railings at the top since they one was a good distance up. They thought it was so funny how little Mommy looked from WAY up high! It was over 108 degrees that day and no one else was brave enough to play on the jungle gym (or maybe they were smart enough to stay inside). This park had really nice restaurants but the water fountain was broken.
This is the Mt. Pleasant Palmetto Islands County Park. It has a wide area with the rubber padding. The girls loved playing at this park. You could also rent paddle boats, go to a Water Park or go on a hike.
The girls loved being “big” enough to climb up to the top of the tallest jungle gym and go down the long slide. It took them several tries to work up enough courage to get up the climbing wall or pole but it was well worth it!
The girls liked spinning and spinning in the yellow tire swing. It made me sick just spinning and watching them after a few minutes. They thought it was hilarious to jump off and run across the playground after spinning for several minutes!
She could spin herself but her preference was to have me stand beside her and spin until she said that was good.
They literally wore out their flip-flops on this Charleston trip. Since we were staying in a different location we were able to visit several parks and they girls played hard. We tried to meet Daddy over lunch most days to take him on a picnic to one of the cool parks the girls have discovered, if we didn’t get a chance to go with him over lunch they would insist he check out the parks after dinner in the evening. The girls were very good despite the heat during our visit to Charleston that week! Although they would crash by the time we got back to the hotel at night, they were ready to head back out at the break of dawn! What amazing memories we made during our park explorations in Charleston! We are already looking forward to our next trip together!
Book: “If You Take a Mouse to School” by Laura Numeroff
In celebration of the girls being in school for a few weeks now I decided to highlight a book that is about school. The girls really enjoy Laura Numeroff’s book and one of their favorites is If You Take a Mouse to School. It is a fun and engaging book about a mouse going to school. The girls think it would be so neat to take a mouse (or any pet for that matter) to school with them. We have read this book and several other ones by Laura Numeroff many times. It is a great book for beginning readers.
Here are a few of Laura Numeroff’s popular “If You Give…” books that are a hit in our family:
Fresh & Healthy: Pears from our Neighbor
A few days ago the girls and I were walking back from the bus stop when a neighbor stopped to talk with us. She generously offered us some of her pears. A couple of the other neighbors had picked some pears and she wanted to make sure we came over and got a few as well. Her tree was producing a lot of pears this year and she didn’t want them to go to waste.
The girls begged me to pick some pears so the next day after school we went over and picked a few pears. It has been wonderful eating fresh pears for breakfast, lunches at school and snacks. We even made an awesome Strawberry Pear Smoothie for an after school treat and Pearsauce. I am thankful for our neighbors and their generosity. It is the little things in life that can make a really big difference.
Vacation & Travel: Vermont Fun & Celebrations
Thankful for a husband who invests time in the lives of the children. The girls adore their Daddy! I love all three of you so very much!
It is amazing the cool stuff you find in Vermont. As Daddy and PopPop were splitting wood these pieces of paper fell off of the tree and the girls thought they were the neatest “craft” paper.
Brina all smiles after her ride on the four wheeler with Daddy. So much fun!
Karlie is pleased with herself for “helping” Daddy drive the four wheeler!
The tractor was out so the girls enjoyed riding for a few minutes with PopPop!
It’s the little stuff that make them smile. Thankful for opportunity to spend time with Nana and PopPop.
We were able to celebrate Nana’s birthday during our visit. The girls helped make and decorate the cake for the party.
It was a blessing to share Nana’s birthday with her!
Brina admiring the butterfly plates while PopPop and Karlie watch Nana cut the birthday cake.
Nana is a beautiful lady both inside and out. We love you Nana! Thanks for sharing your birthday with us.
Fun times with PopPop.
Karlie did pretty well hitting the target.
Brina thought is was a lot of fun to sh0ot and find all the empty casings.
Brina and Karlie loved picking the beautiful flowers from PopPop’s garden and along the trails.
Standing on the rocks spelling out their names with sparklers!
Time to head home. Saying goodbye and ready for the final leg of our long road trip! We are thankful for our time with PopPop and Nana in Vermont.
A Vacation To Remember series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
SkyTop Orchard: $1.00 off a Bushel of Apples Coupon
If you are looking for a great fall family activity you might want to try Apple Picking!
SkyTop Orchard is now open for apple picking and is offering a coupon for $1.00 a bushel of Apples.
You can pick your own apples or buy apples they have picked in their store
What is at SkyTop Orchard:
- Pick Your Own Apples, Peaches, Pears, and Grapes (check to see what is currently in season)
- “Made While You Watch” Apple Cake Doughnuts
- Hayrides
- Pick Pumpkins, Gourds, and Fall Decorations
- Picnic Areas
- Barnyard Goats, Sheep, Chickens, Turkeys, Peacocks, Ducks and Geese
- Free Apple Cider
- Nature Trail through a Bamboo Forest
- Orchard Pond
- Bees working in their Beehive
- Apple Goods, Hot Apple Cider, Caramel Apples, Fudge Apples and More
- Honey, Jams, and Gifts
- Kids Playground
- Wooden cut-outs for pictures
- And More!
Where is SkyTop Orchard:
- Sky Top Orchard is located above Flat Rock, NC on Pinnacle Mountain Road
- When using GPS enter the address of 3403 Greenville Highway, Flat Rock, NC 28731