A City Life For Me

The Lord gave us a unique opportunity this week.  My dad secured a job for him and Ben to do a roof on a church in Eugene, Oregon.  Now, going from New York City to Oregon is a long way.  And this roof is the biggest that my dad has ever done (and he has done quite a few ).  And Ben hasn’t really ever roofed before.  And they were going to do it in just a week. That’s all great – but what was I going to do by myself, with four kids, for a week?!?  Have a nervous breakdown, probably!  But the roofing job was paying enough that we could afford to fly the whole family to Denver.  The kids and I would stay with my mom while Dad and Ben continued on to Oregon.  This is a double blessing – a good job, and a trip “back home.”  I have been wanting to see my grandparents again, and to introduce the twins to them, but I didn’t know when it would ever be possible.  How could we afford four plane tickets?  And two or three days in the ca...

Liberty & Nehemiah may be numbers three and four in our little family, but to my grandparents, they are numbers 13 and 14.  Of great-grandchildren, that is.  How blessed I am to be in their family, and it was such a special treat to introduce the newest members of that family to Grandma & Grandpa.  I’ve done a little reading on twins (now that I have my own).  If twins run on the mother’s side of the family, you are more likely to have twins, and they will be fraternal.  My Grandpa is a twin.  He had a twin sister.  He is Donald J. and his sister was Dorothy Jean.  Grandpa is 87 now, and his twin sister died when she was 66 (I think?!).  They are numbers 4 and 5 in the Paul family.  There were 11 kids in the family.  Numbers 10 and 11 are also twins – Wayne and Weldon.  I am NOT trying to keep up with my great-grandmother! Grandma is the youngest of six kids.  Her older siblings (#2 & #3) are twins also....

The kids needed to run off some energy, so upon arrival at the Polo Club we took a walk through the community.  We enjoyed the warm Colorado weather, the beautiful landscape, and searching for the ducks.  The babies laid in the grass.  Nolan got as close to the pond as possible without getting wet.  But then he did get wet – he dipped his feet in the water.  At least he didn’t fall in completely! No…they are not feeding the ducks.  It just looks that way. My always happy, never-ending-smile baby.  Think he looks like Grandpa?  Several of the residents here have met the twins, and the first comment is, “Oh, he looks just like Wally!”  It’s gotta be the bald head… Elaine and Nolan – climbing a rock.  So happy to be off the plane!

Highlights from our week in Colorado thus far… Digging in Grandma’s Dress-Up Basket Chick-fil-A! Swimming in Grandpa’s pool…took me a while to peel both of my kids off of my neck, but then Elaine slightly enjoyed her independence! Elaine made the alfredo sauce for our supper (with a little supervision!) More details to come – stay tuned!

Last Thursday we embarked on an adventure.  I told you a little bit about it here .  We made it to the airport in good time.  There was no line to check our bags at the curb, so we gave the guy a little tip and avoided the long line inside.  It made it so much more smooth and easy – no juggling baby, stroller, toddler, and 4 suitcases.  Totally worth the tip, and so glad I had some cash on me! We found ourselves sitting in a very hot, crowded waiting room because another flight was delayed.  It was only 10:30 a.m., but we were starved so we broke out the PBJ sandwiches I had packed.  I was in a row with Elaine and Nolan, and I started out with Liberty in my lap.  Ben thought Nehemiah was smelly, so he traded babies with me.  He then took my iPhone and enjoyed the free TV – featuring MLB!  He had a nice quiet ride.  My side of the plane…not so much! Right off the bat, Nolan took his snack bag of Cheez-Its.  He crunched them u...

Painting pictures to mail to our college students… This is “normal” playtime for the twins right now… Yes – that is Liberty’s hand in Nehemiah’s mouth! Yes – Nehemiah rolled over onto Liberty!  Glad they like each other!

This week we are about to do something that may not happen again for a very.long.time.  We are going to fly…with four kiddos…and be gone for nearly two weeks.  I don’t know what the Lord has in store for us regarding deputation, so being away from home for long stretches at a time may become a normal occurrence.  But this will definitely be our longest trip yet. A unique opportunity has been presented to our family.  We are all flying to Denver where my parents live.  From there, Ben and my dad will fly to Portland, Oregon to do a roof on a church.  Ben hasn’t really done much roofing before, and it is a big job that will be pressed into a short time frame.  They need to finish before the rainy season. While the men are roofing, the kids and I will stay with my mom, and hold down the fort at the Polo Club {my parents are the resident managers of the property – a gated community}.  I am nervous.  It was hard flying with one baby, then ...

Last year I won a copy of Erin Davis’ book Beyond Bath Time .  I was hungry for mom-fellowship and the book encouraged us to start a mom’s group/Bible study to share the motherhood journey {both ups and downs}.  I desperately wanted to be a part of a group like the book described, but I was nervous and a little shy about starting a group myself.  I talked to Ben, I prayed, I waited, but I didn’t take action.  I tried to partake in the ladies prayer breakfast at our church, but it was difficult to make it out of the house, without children, on a Saturday morning.  My attendance was sporadic.  I tried to find a MOPS group, but there wasn’t one close by.  Finally, I felt like the Lord was leading me to start a Mom’s Fellowship in my home.  I wanted to have a fellowship and sharing time with other moms, but not have to worry about child care.  So last fall I invited a couple of friends over.  My apartment was small, but we just worked...

We use cloth napkins in our home.  It was something my mom did for a while when I was growing up.  When I was trying to save money as a newly married wife, I switched to cloth napkins.  What’s a few napkins in a load of towels that needs washed anyway?  The ones we used the most were purchased at a yard sale before I got married.  Then my “nice” ones became “everyday” use napkins.  Then my mother-in-law made me some new ones for my birthday a couple of years ago.  They were much smaller, but 2-ply and just perfect. Recently I was given a bag of fabric scraps by a friend at church.  She suggested napkins or cloth wipes.  I really did need some napkins.  Most of ours are terribly grease-stained, and a couple even have big holes in them.  But I wasn’t really up for a sewing project.  Yet I accepted the fabric, and I got excited when I started pairing the prints together for some new napkins.  I was tempted to leave the p...

After about three weeks of struggling to get Nolan to nap he finally conked right out one afternoon – with his head hanging out the ladder! Ben was working outside at our apartment, so all of the kids went out for a little fresh air and sunshine.  The twins seemed to enjoy it! (And yes… I know it’s Friday.  Better late than never, right?!?)

So…I’m only 8 days late…but the twins are four months now!  Time really seems to be flying by.  I guess that’s because I’m busy, and as everyone {friends and strangers alike} keeps reminding me – I have my hands full! Liberty jumped from the 3rd percentile to the 25th percentile in both weight and height, now measuring at 23.75 inches and 12 pounds 4 ounces.  Nehemiah also experienced a growth jump, now in the 75th percentile for height and the 50th percentile for weight.  He is a whopping 26 inches tall and 14 pounds 8 ounces!  (That puts him close to 2.5 pounds bigger than his older sis!) Both of my babies are very happy and easy going.  Liberty is dishing out a lot more morning smiles, and Nehemiah continues to be the smiliest baby I ever knew.  Liberty has a dimple when she smiles, and her blue eyes are more of a grey and sometimes hazel-y color.  Liberty is still trying to figure out what’s going on! The twins enjoy being togeth...

Nolan has been kinda indifferent to the twins since they joined our family.  He has wanted to hold one occasionally, or help out with bath time if Elaine is helping.  But mostly he just wants to play and do his own thing.  The other day I had some work to do in the kids’ bedroom so I brought the babies in on the rug.  I left for a moment to get something, and when I came back I found Nolan entertaining the babies. It’s a lot of pictures, but it was so funny to me.  He got right in their faces explaining something with his pointer finger.  Usually that finger gets in my face to ask, “Happy?” after a potty success.  It’s his communication style right now!  Most of what he said was just babble, but the twins listened intently.  I guess they speak the same language! Since then he has wanted to hold them, hold their hands, and share his toys with the babies.  He says “Mah” for Nehemiah – sort of a slurred version of “Miah” a...

The babies have been enjoying some tummy time more now that they are rolling over! Nolan shared his toy car (!) with Nehemiah!  So happy with this demonstration of kindness! {And from the looks of it, Nehemiah didn’t mind either!  His new name is “Mah” according to Nolan} New Boston Red Sox gear from Auntie Mere.  And almost a double smile picture…but not quite yet! Indifferent.  I guess we’ll have to wait and see where their true loyalty lies! This is what Skype with Grandma looks like when there are four kiddos! Yes…Nolan is wearing a princess dress.  Yes…it looks like he’s wearing a yellow yarmulke.  It’s a baby hat that he snagged from the drawer and then stretched to fit on his head.  And he always has it on when he wears the Belle dress!