Family Photos

It's been a very long time since we've had professional pictures taken of our family . I believe Hannah was only 2 and the twins were just starting to "bake in the oven." So, I guess we're looking at a good 5 years. Yikes. Way overdue.

Last month we finally got the chance to have them taken. We wanted to get them done sooner, but we had to wait for Emily's black eye to go away. That's another story, though. Anywho, I had all 4 girls in their outfits, hair done, and practiced smiles in place. We were ready. The photo studio is close to the church my husband works at, so he just met us there.

To make a long, drawn out story somewhat shorter, we finally got them all taken. Grace and Emily were all smiles the whole time and Hannah Boo was such a ham....sometimes smiling a little too much :) Lyndsey, our oldest, shed some tears before our family shots were taken, so we didn't have too many to choose from where she was smiling and didn't have red, swollen eyes. Oh well. Eventually she warmed up and we got some awesome shots of the 4 girls.

I thought I'd share a few of my favorites.

Stylin'

I wanted to post this last week. Guess I forgot. Better late than never.

Sometime last week, I told the twins to go upstairs and get dressed after breakfast. They usually ask what they should wear, but this day they didn't, and I didn't offer any suggestions. I thought they could handle this decision on their own. Gracie did pretty well picking out her attire for the day. The colors probably weren't the combination mommy would've picked, but some battles just aren't worth fighting, ya know? ;) I waited for Emily to come downstairs so I could see her outfit of choice. Emily has a style all her own. Exhibits A and B....

Man, I love that girl of mine! She's got spunk!

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

I found this recipe for coffee cake a few years ago, and it's become a staple in our house. It's not really made "from scratch," but does taste like it. I always have the ingredients on hand, so it's super easy to throw together. Hope you like it!

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 oz) package yellow cake mix

1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix

1 (3.4oz) package instant butterscotch pudding mix

4 eggs

1 cup water

1 cup vegetable oil (I always use 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup applesauce to cut down on the oil)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts (pecans are yummy too)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease either a 9x13 inch baking pan, or a 10 inch bunt pan.

In a bowl stir together the cake mix and pudding mixes. Add the eggs, oil (or half oil and half applesauce) and water, and mix until blended. In another bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts. Pour half the batter into pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with half the nut mixture. Cover with the rest of the batter, and sprinkle with the rest of the nut mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the oven down to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 35 to 40 minutes. Let sit for about 10 minutes after baking.

Enjoy!

My Name Should Be Forgetful Fran

Okay, it's been one of those days. And as you can see by the time this was posted, it's not even close to being lunch time yet. I can only hope this day goes uphill from here. Sigh.

I have forgotten (or nearly forgotten) all of these things today. Hang in there, it's a long list!

• I forgot to set my alarm last night. My hubby gets up early for elder meetings on Friday, so he wasn't around to wake me up either. Needless to say, I woke up about 15 minutes late and therefor set the stage for the rest of my blunder-filled morning. Read on if you dare...


• I forgot to put coffee beans in the coffee maker before turning it on. I noticed the grinder sounded weird when running, but didn't really notice it until my brewed coffee looked strangely like water.


• I forgot today was hat day for Lyndsey and Hannah at school. Fortunately my girls reminded me before we left.


• I forgot to grab Hannah's weather box (a project she's been working on for school that's due today) before heading out the door this morning. (I did remember it before we left our subdivision though)


• I forgot to make Lyndsey a ham, cheese and mustard sandwich instead of the peanut butter and jelly that was already packed in her lunch bag. After some tears (Lyndsey's, not mine) I made a second sandwich. Good news? I now have a PB&J sandwich made for one of the twins' lunches :)


• I forgot to grab my purse before driving the girls to school. Yes, I drove about 5 miles without my license. So sue me.


• I forgot to put on some "essential clothing" before taking the girls to school. I was scared to death I'd get in an accident and be taken to the hospital without this "essential" item. Way too personal? Sorry.


• I forgot to grab Hannah's spelling words before we left for school. It's a Friday morning ritual to do a quick review of her words during our commute, before her big spelling test. I forgot the list of words, and Hannah could only remember 3 of them. I am prepared to take full responsibility if she does poorly on her spelling test today.


• I forgot to go out early and scrape the frost off the van windows. Almost every morning I scrape the windows and have the van toasty warm for the 5 minute drive to the school. Taking the time to clear the windows only made us later than we already were! Aaarrgghh.


• Lastly (I think), I almost forgot the twins. Yes, it's true. I had Lyndsey, Hannah, lunch bags, backpacks, the weather box, my coffee (the real kind) and myself in the van. The twins had been upstairs playing dress up while I was flying around like a crazy person. I did remember to put them in the van before leaving the driveway. At least I wasn't halfway to school when I remembered. Oy.

So, that's my day so far. Do you think I'm totally losing it? Oh, it's very possible, I assure you! I really need to get the twins dressed in something other than dress-up, take a shower, and head to the library and the store for some stuff I've been meaning to pick up all week. Oh, and I need to get the mail too. I've forgotten to check my box for the last two days now. Yikes! I really hope this is a phase... I'm too young for senility, aren't I?

Have a happy Friday, all!

*UPDATE*

It is now about 12:45 in the afternoon and I can truly say, this day hasn't changed course much. I'm at the point where I need to laugh about the events of my day, or otherwise risk losing my mind. A few minutes ago I said to Emily "Em, Mommy has lost her marbles! What should I do about that?" Emmy's reply: "Find them." I think this pic sums up how I've felt since waking up this morning. It's good to laugh :)

5....times 2!

Sunday was a big day for the Jackson family. The two youngest members of our clan turned 5 years old! Yikes! The time has passed so quickly since their birth. It really does seem like only yesterday.... sigh.

I was two days away from scheduling my appointment to induce labor, but the twins were ready now. I remember having such mixed emotions when I started having contractions. Part of me was absolutely ecstatic! I had a very healthy pregnancy with the twins, but, oh my goodness, was it ever uncomfortable! And when I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant everywhere, not just my tummy. I had two babies stuffed in a rather small compartment. Although skinny didn't describe me at all, I was (still am) on the short side. There was no extra room. I cannot express just how "blow fish-like" I felt. So, because of that, and the fact that I was so anxious to meet my little ones face to face, I was thinking delivery would be great.

On the other hand, it was 2 weeks too early for these little ones to be born. I was only 34 weeks along, and I wasn't considered full term (for twins) until I was 36 weeks. I knew it was critical for them to have as much time in the womb as possible. After a couple hours of contractions my husband took me to the hospital, only to be assured that I was definitely in labor, already dilating, and these little ones were on their way.

To make a long story short, it was a blessing that my daughters came as early as they did. Little did my doctor know that inside the womb, the babies were having a twin to twin blood transfusion. Little Emily was taking all of Gracie's blood. Needless to say, Grace was born very anemic, and Emmy was born with too much blood. They were both very sick at birth. If they had gone another two weeks in the womb, like they were supposed to, Gracie most likely would not have survived, and the doctor thought Emily might not have made it either. Praise God that He saw fit to bring them early. Well, not really early, more like right on time. I cannot even fathom not having these two little girls as part of our family. They're miracles.

I remember the two weeks after their birth, visiting them in the NICU. They were so tiny and had so many wires hooked up to them. It broke my heart to see them so small and helpless, and yet I distinctly remember having such joy and peace through that time. It was a while until I could even hold them for more than a couple minutes at a time. I cherished the times I would rock them (wires, tubes, and all) and eventually feed them in the NICU. Reaching into their incubators and just touching them was never enough. I longed to cuddle them and smell their baby smell. I ached for them when I wasn't with them. But eventually they were big enough and strong enough to come home. Then, once they were home, it was a whole new lesson in how to "do" multiple newborns. That's a whole other story :)

Grace Katherine and Emily Kate, I love you so much! You are a constant reminder of God's grace and faithfulness. Happy 5th birthday my little ones!

Below are some pictures taken during their birthday celebration.

That's What I Said

Last Friday morning the twins and I dropped Lyndsey and Hannah off at school. We often drive through a particular neighborhood on our way home. While we were driving through this neighborhood, Gracie exclaimed suddenly "Mom, I just saw rocka momma!" My mind quickly went through all the possibilities of what "rocka momma" meant in 4 year old terms. I wasn't sure I had heard her correctly, and asked her to please repeat herself. "I saw rocka momma in the window...in that house!" Grace was starting to get frustrated that I didn't understand what she was so clearly saying.

Finally it hit me. Several homes along the street had pictures of Barack Obama sitting in their windows. Then I also remembered that Grace and Emily's preschool class had been learning about past presidents and also the new president we now have. "Oh," I said. "You mean you saw a picture of Barack Obama?" Gracie's reply: "Yea. That's what I said, Mom!"

It just brought a little giggle to my day, and maybe it will for you too :)

From the Lips of Babes...

Monday evening I was zipping around the house trying to clean up a bit since we had a sitter coming to watch our girls. My friend and her daughter were due in about 30 minutes and I hadn't even showered yet. I was stressed! Never mind the fact that my husband and I were finally getting some time to ourselves without the kids. Never mind that I was going to be treated to a nice dinner out, where I didn't have to prepare any of the food. Nope, I was only concerned about the fact that things weren't going the way I wanted them to. Not good.

When all 4 girls were seated at the table, I asked our 7 year old daughter to please pray for their dinner. Holding hands and heads bowed, Hannah happily agreed to my request. As I was washing some dishes and grumbling about how I didn't have enough time to get ready, I overheard this simple and sweet prayer. "Dear Lord, thank you for this food and for this water. Thank you for giving me a family that loves me. And thank you for my sisters. And even though you didn't give us any boys, thank you just in case you decide to give us one. Amen." I think I first stifled a laugh, just because I was so tickled :) But then I thought to myself that here is a 7 year old who realizes that God is not limited. No, He has not chosen to give us a little boy, but that doesn't mean He won't. Personally, I hope we don't have a son until I can refer to him as my daughter's husband....just because I'd like to be done having children. However, I realize that God could certainly choose to bless us with another little one. Believe me, that would certainly be a miracle!!!

Even though I thought her prayer was cute, she reminded me that God is the only one that truly knows what the future holds. It's very easy to respond "No honey, God isn't giving us anymore children. We're done with that part of life. Yep, DONE!" But, as with everything else, He is ultimately in control, and I have to trust that His plan is the best plan. And I need to honor God while I walk that path He's chosen for me. So whether it's having another baby, a failing economy, or the doctor giving me very grim news, I know that nothing takes Him by surprise (even though I might initially be drowning in disbelief). I trust my God, He is worthy of that. It is always in my weakness that His strength, mercy and grace are so apparent.

And so these are the thoughts that came from hearing my little girl's prayer. She, as she has so many times before, reminded me of God's unwavering strength and love, and made me pause to look at my own heart.

By the way, my husband and I had a great date that night :) God is good.