Best Friends

Two years ago today Rex and Myla came home from the hospital after 25 days in the NICU.

I'm pretty sure that even Dan and I could not even comprehend what great friends these three were going to be and I know by looking at this picture that Quinton had absolutely NO IDEA that he was sitting with his best buds.

This was Quinn's first time meeting them!
He was obviously thrilled about it ;)It is crazy to think that 2 years ago Dan and I were waking up 2 times a night for about an hour and fifteen minutes. It makes my once a night for 20 minutes these days seem like a breeze!

The size difference has become substantially less!

On Sunday Dan and I had a lunch meeting to attend so their Aunt Julia watched them for a little bit and laid them down for their naps. She said that when she was taking them upstairs for their naps they all walked right into Quinn's room (they have not napped in their beds except the one time, Myla doesn't like it), so she assumed that they were all sleeping in there. She tucked them in a left the room. After a few minutes she heard lots of giggles so she went up to check on them. Rex had climbed into Quinn's bed and the three of them were being goofy. She quickly realized that they were not used to sleeping in there so went to take Rex and Myla back to their cribs and Quinn said, "DON'T TAKE MY BEST FRIENDS AWAY FROM ME!"

They LOVE each other!
Enough said...

... and a half

Quinn is 3 AND A HALF today!

When that half represents 1/7 of your life it is definitely worth talking about!

I'm sure that many of you have not had the privilege of spending much time around Quinton, but you can trust me, HE IS AMAZING. I'm pretty sure that you would fall in love with him

I could not imagine a better first born. He is not a typical first born (so I am told) but he is perfect for our family. He loves to get dirty, take adventures, he is very brave and usually outgoing. He is a natural born leader and can come up with a fun game on the spot, he has an amazing imagination, a memory that puts me a shame and jumping, flipping skills that could top any gymnast!

If you are unaware from previous posts he has music running through his blood and more often than not he has a guitar or drum sticks in his hands. We have been told by several musical people (and we agree) that he has great rhythm. His great memory is helpful in remembering the words to songs and likes to start dance parties in our house.He is adored by all three of his siblings. They are lost without him leading the charge. He can pretty much convince them that anything and everything is fun. He has been the kindest boy with Titan and constantly tells him about all the fun things that they will do together when he gets bigger.

It's been really fun to watch him learn so many new things. He is regularly pointing out people's letters and then tells me the sound it makes and other words that start with their letter.

Rex and Myla want to be everywhere Quinn is, and Titan doesn't have much of a choice where he is but he does love being with his siblings!

He's so sweet

Quinn will play house with Myla, they love to have "sleep outs" together in our living room, they take their dogs for walks and go to the store for me.

Quinn and Rex like to wrestle, race, and be rough, tough boys together.

No words can describe how thankful I am for my 3 and a half year old!

Totally Titan

Titan's Papa expressed a need for a "Titan Fix" so it was my job to help meet the need!
We had a quick little photo shoot.

So I present to you, Totally Titan! Titan is by far my strongest baby. He holds his head up so well and always is trying to look around! I also think that he is my longest baby. He is not chunky but already is too long for his 0-3 month sleepers. We decided we needed to get a growth chart (aka a piece of wood with inches on it) to record all our kids heights so we can see how they compare to each other.He has been smiling since about 3.5 weeks (very early).
He always has a smile for his momma.... I think he likes me!Titan is my calm in the midst of chaos. Not bad chaos, I love my chaos, but two two year olds and a three year old tend to be a little chaotic. Titan definitely has his moments but even when he is crying and I pick him up he usually calms down gives me a smile and snuggles right up to me. He makes 3 am feedings totally bearable. The only problem is now when my big kids are napping all I want to do is snuggle him. So that means that sometimes other things get pushed aside. But I always remember the poem that was up in our house when we were little, I have it posted on the side of my fridge so I don't forget it,

"Cleaning and scrubbing can wait 'til tomorrow For babies grow up we've learned to our sorrow, So quiet down cobwebs and dust go to sleep I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep."

I'm completely in love with my little man. Can't imagine life without him and I definitely don't want to miss any snuggles!

Do you think his eyes will stay blue? Myla's my only blue eyed babe.

Big eyes like Rexy

ok, so it's not totally Titan because we have some BIG NEWS...
Rex and Myla are in their BIG KID BEDS!
Today before nap time Quinn was VERY convincing and talked them into being in their big kid beds with him. I wish that I could have recorded the conversation between the three of them. They were pretty funny. It took about 15 minutes to get them to be quiet and calm down. I'm not sure if I'm excited or not. I have a feeling I just gave them a lot of freedom. There is something really great about getting them out on my time... we will see if the big kid beds are for real or not tonight. But they sure looked precious and not very baby like in their big beds.

Oh time goes too fast

I guess it's just a good reminder to me to take full advantage of my baby boy! Oh I hope he stays little for a long time!

Socks

Socks

I never knew that six little socks could bring so much entertainment.
This morning when we checked the weather, (part of our morning routine, the kids go out on the deck and see what the temperature is) it was "very chilly" according to Quinn. So for the first time since probably April we pulled on socks.
It was almost as if they forgot what wearing socks was like. They spent the morning sliding across the kitchen floor, pulling them on and off, and talking about their socks nonstop.
I'm sure that the fascination with socks will wear off quickly, especially when they go on every day for over 6 months, but for today they provided lots of fun and lots of giggles for my three big kids.Rex' favorite socks... can you blame him? How cool that they say his name!
Thank you Aunt DanaI just could not resist taking some photos of by beautiful daughter.

I hate the cold, but I will say that I enjoyed putting this sweet pink vest on her today. I'm trying to stay optimistic about the cold so cute outfits help me out!Isn't she lovely?

I'm still totally in LOVE with the clips and headbands that my friend Anna Judd makes. If anyone is ever interested in them she is on facebook under the name "The Color B" or you can ask me. She does a FABULOUS JOB and I constantly get compliments on them!

And I will leave you with this....

Yvonne Johnson

This past weekend I had the honor of standing next to one of the most amazing women that I know on her wedding day. One of my best friends Yvonne married an incredible man, D'Angelo Johnson last Friday. I have been looking forward to Yvonne's wedding day since they started dating, knowing full well that D was THE ONE for Yvonne. It was such an exciting day and I was so thrilled to get to be a part of as many of the festivities that being a mother of 4 allowed me to be.

The day began with breakfast followed by a few of my favorite things: lots of girl talk, lots of hairspray and curling irons, iced coffee, makeup doing and sharing and offering tips to one another, tears, and fabulous fellowship.

Part of what made this day extra special was that it not only united two people, it actually united 4 people. Yvonne is the extraordinary mother of Noah, who is 6 years old (I have had the pleasure of watching him grow up right before my eyes) and D is the father of Ahman, who is 4 and looks almost identical to the Karate Kid ;) It made the whole event even more emotional, thinking of how these two kids lives are going to be changed for the better. Yvonne and D have done such great jobs parenting on their own but now they get to be parents and love these kids together and be a family! And I'm pretty sure that Noah and Ahman are thrilled to be brothers!

The Johnson Family
(Yvonne looked STUNNING)D and Yvonne with the kids from the wedding
Olivia (on the far left) is the daughter of my dear friend Rachel who was the maid of honor for the wedding.Sweet Little Brothers

I got to make a toast for Yvonne and D at the wedding.
Here is a little excerpt from my toast to her so that those of you that don't know her can realize just what an amazing woman she is,

"Over the last 5 years it has been amazing to watch the Lord transform your life. You have gone from a crazy, wild, new in Christ girl to a crazy, wild, mature woman of God who myself and countless other women look to for advice, encouragement and comfort. In 1 Thessalonians 2 Paul says, “we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well,” he then goes on to say, “for you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.”
You have lived out these verses better than any woman I know. You have shared your life with so many people and allowed the Lord to be glorified through your past. You bend over backwards to love those that others might have given up on. You have linked arms with people and helped them step by step to draw closer to the Lord. You are amazing at loving people where they are at and in a way that makes sense to them. You have time and time again showed up at my house with a coffee, an arm to hold a baby and an ear to listen. You graciously welcome other people’s children into your house and give up your own free time to meet the needs of those around you."
(There was more at the beginning and the end of the toast too)

Yvonne, her dad and some of the bridesmaids

Yvonne and her Dad, Oscar

Having Fun

The Matron (that makes me sound really old) and Maid of honors.
I loved getting to spend a lot of time around Rachel. She is such a wonderful woman. Her daughter is Olivia from the picture above.

Rachel, Ashley and Sara

Yvonne and RachelI loved getting to spend so much time with Yvonne during wedding weekAunt Julia was kind enough to take care of Titan during the wedding!

My HOT date!
Dan officiated the wedding. It was really wonderful because he was able to share so many personal stories about Yvonne and D because he knows them so well!

The Johnson's and the Rude's

Yvonne and D holding up their sign marriage license.

It's OFFICIAL!

These last few pictures are of Yvonne's Bachelorette Party from the week before her wedding. A large group of girls went to dinner and then back to Sara Madison's house for celebrating Yvonne!

Me and the beautiful bride Rachel and I

Some wonderful women

The other table of wonderful women

What a great celebration of two amazing people. I'm so excited to see what the Lord through their life together!
I LOVE YVONNE!

Two age Two

Happy Birthday Rex & Myla!

I can't even believe that they are two years old. It literally seems like yesterday that I was on bed rest and now they are talking and running circles around me.

I always like to look back at what they looked like and where they have come over the last year or so. It is always a good reminder for me to be so thankful when I look at pictures of them when they were born. You would never know now that they spent the first month of their life in the NICU.

So this is where we were 2 years ago.
My beautiful 3 lb 8 oz baby girl
Myla Jane

My perfect 5 lb 9 oz stud

Rex MichaelThey were best buds from the beginningGetting olderOver the last year it has been amazing to see their personalities emerge. They both are very spunky in their own way.It's funny just how much they can change in one year. They look so different and do so many more things than they did a year ago. Amazing all the learning that they do!

It is fun to look at Myla's hair growth!

Rex still does that goofy smile!I love watching them figure out how to ride a scooter, how to get their own shoes on, how to use their fork, all these different skills that they figure out on their own! My bald little girlI have loved making Miss Myla so girly and she loves all her little accessoriesI'm pretty sure that I love this Tom Brady look on Rexy, maybe we will have to let it grow long again!I don't necessarily love looking at this picture but it is a good reminder to me to be so thankful and to remember the Lord's provision over our family during this tough time. 12 days in the PICU and the hospital. Just thinking about the whole situation can bring me to tears and reminds me to not take any of my kids for-granted. Myla was so happy once Rexy came homeRex back to his smiley selfAlthough these two have their moments, they really do love each other. I sometimes wish that I had a camera in their room so that I could see just what happens when they are in there together. Sometimes they can't stop giggling!Goofy RexOne of her first pony tails!Rex showing off his love of slimy things! He adores anything that is moving. He loves fish, frogs, dogs, squishing any bug that he finds. He has quite a connection with nature.Rex and Myla with their favorite person in the world, THEIR DADDY!Well, look at how big they are now!

We had nothing but fun with Quinn's twos and we are expecting no different with Rex and Myla. I'm pretty sure that we are going to call them the tremendous twos! We are blessed to have such amazing children and have thoroughly enjoyed watching them grow and change. We are looking forward to another year running after these two!
Happy Birthday Rex and Myla!