Too Cute to not post!

Jenna breastfeeding her baby. She then told me that her baby was going to time out for crying...haha! She cracks me up...she LIVES in time out right now!





Both boys were asleep and then as I slide the boppy off my lap and onto the couch, John David cracked his eyes open and when his eyes met mine, he smiled huge. I thought this was such a sweet picture.



It appears that James is looking at John David in this picture. John David looks like he doesn't really care to have his picture taken. Funny thing, is that usually John David is super smiley and James is a bit more "moody" when I start taking pictures. But tonight, James was laughing and cooing, smiling huge and John David looked like he was on the verge of falling asleep.


Mister James Daniel putting on a show for us..just a laughing!



SO the reason I LOVE this picture..obvious...they look so adorable all snuggled together.

And the Broken Arm Goes to.....

ELLIE PATE



So imagine the scene...Daddy trimming hedges, Mommy planting flowers and washing off the deck, Nana pushing boys in the jogging stroller, Jenna laying down for a nap, Claire and Ellie soaking wet from playing in the hose and completely filthy from playing outside; all is well and everyone is happy until...ELLIE FALLS OFF HER BIKE AND BREAKS HER ARM! And yes, it was the kind of broken arm that you look at and instantly think, yep that is a broken arm.

Rob called his mom, she was at our house within 10 minutes and we were off to Children's Hospital with Ellie. Long story short (I won't bore you with the details) Ellie was sedated and arm was set back into place and we were on our way with her fancy new HOT pink cast within 5 hours...oops I forgot to mention she vomited about 8 times from the sedation medication. That was fun..especially when she hurled in the car!!!!

I am determined to find the positives. Not good that is it the FIRST week of summer and Ellie has a broken arm. Yes, my plate is full (as so many people say to me often) and it just became a little fuller, but I am so thankful I took my precious, HEALTHY four year old in to the hospital today for a broken arm and nothing worse. She will be fine. Pate girls are tough and very resilient. Positives in this situation are: it is her left arm (she is right handed), they have water proof casts now, she can still paint and draw and do her crafts (that makes her so happy), she is home with me and not at school, THIS TOO SHALL PASS. It is so hard to watch your children suffer. Seeing her in so much pain today just made my heart ache for her. I knew she'd be okay and soon enough the pain would subside, but in the moment I just hurt for her.

So I just wanted to share with everyone our EVENTFUL day...turned out that the yard work and deck washing will be postponed till later.


Here is Ellie holding her bell that she rings when she needs me. OF course within 2 minutes of giving it to her she was ringing it. Fist it was "my arm is slipping off the pillow" and then "I need to potty" and then "I am sweaty and can't get the blankets off" and then "I need a snack for my tummy"....



Here is the "snack" picture. She chose peanut butter crackers.

First Road Trip of Summer...AUBURN!

Our first road trip of the summer was great fun! We spent the entire day in Auburn visiting with friends. I really enjoyed spending time with my old friends from Auburn and it was nice for the girls to get the chance to play together. Valerie, my dearest friend I taught with at Dean Road in Auburn, has three girls as well, so when we get together our girls play together. Funny thing is that her first daughter and my first daughter are very much alike and our second girls are also very similar in personality. I miss her so much and I am grateful we have remained friends after all these years.


Ellie and Jenna playing with Kassie...three peas in a pod! They are all so much alike...vivacious and bursting with energy.








We stopped by Dean Road Elementary School to visit some wonderful friends. Dean Road was my first school to teach at 7 years ago. I miss Dean Road and all of the incredible people who work there. I am thankful to still have friendships with many of them. They have been so supportive of me and my family over the years.



We stopped at Toomer's Corner to have ice-cream. I was asked by another customer if all of my children were "mine"..I kindly replied YES! I was temped to say something like, "No I just figured I'd pick me up some kids outside and offer to feed them some ice-cream...!"



WAR EAGLE!


I really hope one day I have this same picture posed in front of Samford Hall as each of my children graduate from Auburn University!



I was VERY tired and ready to be home, decided to stop (briefly) at the Shell station to feed James because he was screaming. Of course stopping the van made John David wake up and begin his tyrant rage as well. So I decided to go ahead and feed both of them. As James was finishing up he let out a rip that sounded like a volcanic explosion (never a good sound...) Sure enough he had a blow out! Pooped ALL up his back!




Best part was when I was changing him in the front seat and there just wasn't an easy way to take off his onesie without pulling it over his head, which then smeared crap all over his head and face, all the while he was kicking and smiling- happy as could be!


End of the trip...almost home! ALL SMILES.

Weekend fun- Family Memories FOREVER!

Pack em up, load em up and LET'S GO! Seems to be the daily norm now. It seems to be getting easier to just load up and go places now. Could be that I have gotten over my overwhelming need to have everything in perfect working order and having it MY WAY! I do still have the occasional OCD break down when I can't see the washing machine from the piles of laundry surrounding it. Or maybe just that our kids have adjusted to the "new life" of having a larger family which comes with it more responsibility. I also think they understand their individual roles in our family and how important each family members' help is. We had a fun filled weekend. Lots of wonderful family time. We didn't have any big, grand plans for the weekend. We played outside, went shoe shopping for Daddy, ate dinner out at Jason's Deli, got Ellie's ears pierced, went to church, had a family gathering at Mamaw and Papa's house, took the brood swimming, and Daddy insisted on Moe's for dinner Monday night! Fun family memorable weekend and I am so thankful for all of it. The memories we make with our children will last a lifetime. Here are the pics from the weekend.









Girls swimming with Daddy. In this picture, notice Jenna is wearing floaties AND wearing a float ring. She was all over the pool, as long as she had on her floaties and "butterfly" float ring.

Not sure if you can see their shirt in this picture or not, but they say "I watch ESPN with my daddy!"

The boys slept while the girls swam with Daddy.



So these boys are EATING like crazy. I still nurse them 6 times a day but they have started cereal and fruit at night too. Tonight we gave them a try at prunes and boy did they eat it up. Here is some video of them eating their prunes...too cute!

Boy OH Boy are they GROWING!

James and John David are now 5 months old. Developmentally they act like 4 month olds. That really isn't too bad considering they were born almost 3 months early. They are about 4-6 weeks behind, and doing amazingly well. I'll never be able to say it enough, but we are so thankful and so pleased with their progress.


This is how the boys fall asleep each night after I nurse them. It is super sweet. John David is a noisy eater, he grunts and snores, shuffles around, plays with his hands, grabs James' hand or my pj's, busy.... James is very quiet, serious and gets down to business. He is always the first one to burp and generally burps an extra couple of times compared to John David.



Here is James Daniel with his paci- his FOUR FINGERS..he loves to suck his fingers.




Finally the boys are big enough to wear their special diapers that were hand painted by Renee Metcalf (Renee's husband, Johnny Metcalf was Rob's old Football and Baseball coach back in the good ole Erwin High days!) Renee's email is reneemet2000@yahoo.com if you are interested in her diapers. She is so talented and does an awesome job on them. She did lots of different designs for us. We have some that are football, AUBURN, dinosaurs, all differnt kinds. She even wraps them in a gift package.


Yesterday I took James and John David in for their next two shots (we visit each month in order to space out their shots and not cluster 4 shots at one time) Anyway, James weighed 10 pounds and 13 ounces (close to 11 pounds) and John David a.k.a Fats, weighed 12 pounds 4 ounces. They are growing well as Dr. Darby said. She has NO concerns right now, which is just awesome, amazing, terrific, phenomenal, outstanding...on and on! I asked her about James' growth and if he was growing okay (in comparison to John David, he looks a bit behind) and of course she said looking at the boys individually as two "individual" babies, James looks perfectly fine. I guess I just worry about him (always have since in the womb)whether or not he is getting enough nourishment from me. Both boys are fed the same amount each day. They both get the same breast milk. So, according to Dr. Darby they are both doing exceptionally well and John David is just moving along the "catch up curve" faster than James right now.

The boys are now eating cereal each night at about 8:00pm. Tonight we introduced bananas and of course John David LOVED them. He literally sucked the air trying to find more. I didn't want to over feed him so he took about half of the container of bananas and half a bowl of cereal before I cut him off. Thus far, John David is loving the food and James does pretty well but prefers to nurse!

Summer officially begins Friday. I am planning on cleaning out my classroom Friday morning:( It will be hard but I also know it will be thrilling to return next August and start back after having a year off with the boys. I already feel so blessed to have been fortunate enough to remain off since December. God most definitely has steered the course of this ride and I am thankful for his expertise, I couldn't have planned it better myself.

A few "special" moments this weekend!

Claire and Ellie at the Special Olympics!




Rob took Claire and Ellie to volunteer at the Special Olympics in Troy, AL on Saturday. The girls had a special day with daddy and enjoyed serving others and being Daddy's little helpers.

The boys and Jenna stayed home with me and had some fun special time with family and friends. Jenna was invited to go to the Wade's house (Kristi Wade is our amazing school counselor at OMIS) and her daughter Molli Grace helped to entertain Jenna while I worked cheerleading registration. The boys hung out at their Uncle Phillip and Aunt Katy's house for a few hours during the registration hours. It will be such great fun for them when they get older to be able to play with their cousin Sam. He is such a precious boy. Seriously he is just over a year old but is nearly as tall as Jenna (out weighs her by 5 pounds..) Sam (a.k.a. Sambo) has the biggest hands I have ever seen on a one year old! Ha!

Sunday was extra special because I was blessed to spend some time with Catie, my friend I met through my blog (honestly didn't know her until she e-mailed me one day and we instantly had someting very special in common...IDENTICAL TWIN BOYS!) She delivered them on Friday and so far they are doing well. Timothy is right at 4 pounds nad John David is at 2.14 (How crazy is it that our John David weighed the same exact weight!) Her John David will have more scans tomorrow to check the status of his heart (whether or not he has a defect or not) so please, please be in prayer for her and for John David. She seemed to be doing pretty well, considering she wasn't prepared Friday for her "emergency c-section"! As I sat and talked with her, I couldn't help but hold back the tears. I know what her heart feels at this very moment. She is scared and worried for the health of her premature babies, but trying so hard to be strong and keep her unwavering faith. She is strong in knowing that God is in control. Yet, she is desperate in wanting him to keep her babies safe and allow them to grow and thrive. I know how she longs to want to hold her babies and feel them breath against her chest, cradle them in her arms and smell them. It is heart wrenching to be away from your babies and not reach out and comfort them when they cry or know what they are doing at each moment of each day. You almost feel like they aren't YOUR babies because you aren't capable of caring for them. All I could do during that time was pray and pump milk and that is what I did. I will be in constant prayer for her and hope that Timothy and John David have just a few short weeks to grow and become stronger before coming home to Mommy and Daddy. I pray for health and safety and peace and comfort for Catie and Matt.

URGENT PRAYER request!

My friend Catie (whom I met through my blog) just delivered identical twin boys late last night. She has been monitored very closely for TTTS (Twin to Twin Transfusion) John David and Timothy were born at 32 weeks. One boy weighed 3lb. and one boy weighed 4lb. I talked with Dad this morning and he said to specifically pray for John David's heart. It may be tilted and possibly have a defect. OR it could be totally normal and perfectly fine. They are having to wait until Monday to do another heart scan. All vital signs look good so far on both boys so that is a HUGE praise! God kept these little guys safe while they were growing inside of Catie's womb. Please ask God to wrap HIS safety blanket around them now and give them strength as they grow for several weeks in the NICU. Also please pray for Catie and her sweet husband Matt as they begin the NICU adventure. For those of you who have been there, you know their hearts all to well. I will update when I learn of any new information. Catie's blog is www.johndavidandtimothy.blogspot.com (her story is really neat, read from the bottom to the top)

Thank you all for lifting up this precious family in your daily prayers. They really need it right now.

God is so good and so faithful. This morning I am praising him (as I always do) and thanking him for the grace he has poured out on my family. Last week I battled the decision whether or not to stay home next year and take a year off teaching or return back to work in the fall. After finding my peace with Him and making the decision to stay home, I wanted to start the worry bug of "how are we going to afford" the increase in insurance (about $700 more a month)and that would be without my income. SO basically cut my income and increase living expenses...doesn't sound so good uh? I refrained from worrying because I just had this certainty in my heart that staying home is what He truly desired for me to do so He'd take care of all the details once I committed to staying home. Sure enough...He answered fairly quickly. Yesterday my precious husband got an email from his company that we could take advantage of his insurance once my coverage ended. His insurance (we originally thought) was going to be even higher than my extended coverage for $700 more a month, but it is actually much cheaper and will work out wonderfully. Not to say we won't still be eating PB&J for supper a few nights a week, but what a relief that our insurance coverage is working out.

"I have learned to be content with whatever I have"...Philippians 4:11

"If we have enough food and clothing, let us be content"...1 Timothy 6:8

"Don't love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, "I will never fail you. I will never abandon you."...Hebrews 13:5

"Your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs"...Matthew 6:32

My other blessing to report of, is the boys are sleeping about 7 hours at night now. It is a beautiful thing. They are eating like crazy all day and especially early afternoon but to sleep from 10-6 is worth feeding them all day. I think they may need cereal mid morning and at supper. This week we have been giving them cereal at 8:00 after I nurse them at 7:30 and before their bath at 9:00. Then they nurse again at 10:00 and go to sleep...LOVELY! I will try to video them eating their cereal tonight and post it tomorrow. It is really cute.


Here are some pictures from yesterday playing outside together. Daddy and the girls were playing softball and the boys and I enjoyed strolling the neighborhood. Then Daddy took the boys for a run and I jumped on the trampoline with the girls. Fun times and great memories made. Of course all the smiles were gone when it was time to go in for bath time at 7:00PM!!!! All but Claire was crying. Even I wanted to shed some tears. Two SCREAMING baby boys wanting to eat, Ellie and Jenna needing a bath and whining for milk and luvies, Claire shouting she is out of shampoo, all at the same time.

Claire- any resemblance of me???? Do ya think???? I seriously have to find a picture of me when I was 7 and post it. We look so much alike....however, she is a carbon copy of her father's personality, so smart and cautious and timid.


Ellie- she is so dramatic...wonder where she gets that gene from??




Jenna..such a dirt kid, look at the dried snot on her nose, yuck! This kid LOVES to be outside. You wouldn't know it from the smile in this picture, but 20 min. prior she was having a typical 4:00 pm meltdown.


Boys hanging out together.


James Daniel playing outside with his big sisters!


John David playing outside with his big sisters!

Mother's Day is Everyday!

Everyday is Mother's Day when you have five children to love you. I most definitely had the best Mother's Day I have ever had. The most treasured gift....FIVE healthy, beautiful, precious children!!! If you had told me last Mother's Day I would have experienced everything I have been through in the last year, I would have laughed and said, "sure, whatever!" and now that I reflect over the past year, I am so humbled by God's grace and love for me and my family. I absolutely don't deserve a single bit of the blessings He has so generously given me, but that is exactly what HIS GRACE is...undeserved blessings.

I woke up to, "Mommy, Mommy, Happy MUDDERS Day!"... Daddy and Claire and Ellie cooked breakfast for me and brought it to me in bed. I seriously enjoyed my sleep and my eats in the bed this morning at 9:00AM!!!!! Jenna didn't wake up until 9:30am and the boys were up by 10:00...we had breakfast and made it to church by 11:15. Then we came home, everyone put on PJ's (even Daddy) and we all watched movies and slept. I thoroughly enjoyed my Mother's Day.




Here are my precious boys after our first morning feeding- this was Friday. They are always so precious and happy at the 8:00am feeding. They are wearing one of my most favorite outfits. They have little crocheted bunnies on the chest of the onesie. My sweet friend Carla DuMontier gave them to the boys.



This is how we are going to travel to Utah (in and out of airports and on airplanes) with five children. This is a picture of me and James. He LOVED hanging out in it. Thanks Aunt Katy for letting us borrow- it will be perfect for our trip. We leave in a few weeks for our trip to Utah, to visit family and run the Bear Lake Half Marathon! YAY!




Can you believe it...I can't!!!! These chunky boys are now eating cereal. We decided to "try" some cereal just to see if the boys had any interest in eating it...sure enough, they loved it. James did the best starting out. He didn't spit any out at all, not once did I have to shovel it back in his mouth..he took it all down! John David was NOT HAPPY about it at first, I had to nurse him for about 5 minutes and then we tried again and he loved it. I think he needed instant gratification and the cereal took to long for him..he prefers the quick fix.



Here is James. He smiled every time we gave him a spoon full. It was too funny. At one point he even giggled. I told Rob that it makes my heart swell with pride to see them conquer little milestones along the way. We have been through the "first cereal" with three kids prior to these boys, but it just seems so much more amazing to me to experience these milestones with them because every time they do something I remember where they started from...2pounds and helpless, fighting to just live!

Decision Made!

John David smiling at me this morning, laying in the bed snuggling after I had nursed him. He was "talking" and smiling a bunch. He melts my heart with that precious smile every time!

I love these outfits..."eat your greens"... how cute.

James Daniel telling Mommy that he loves her! I took this picture last Wed. before I left for the beach. We were in Wachovia parking lot (nursing like always..on the go!)


After several days of prayer, I have made my decision. I plan to take a year's leave of absence and stay home with the boys and Jenna next year. Trying to decide what to do was extremely hard. My heart was tugged in both directions for a variety of reasons. I battled with the decision mostly because I was trying so hard to DO IT ALL! Trying to be the best mom, best wife, best teacher, best friend I could be.

The demands of our family right now surpass all I ever imagined for my life. Don't get me wrong, I am so incredibly thankful to have my family and be responsible for those precious children (all 5 of them), but the days are long and they are hard. I am truly honored to be Rob's wife and Claire, Ellie, Jenna, James and John David's mother. Teaching has always been a passion of mine and I truly do enjoy it. But for this moment in time in my life, I feel that my family needs me more right now than Oak Mt. Intermediate School needs me.

Throughout this past week I had gone back and forth with staying home and going back to the classroom in the fall. I'd play the days in my mind over and over again. I'd think of how exhausting my days are right now and try to imagine adding 7 hours of teaching fourth graders to my day (very overwhelming thought). I'd think of leaving those baby boys for someone else to rock and hold, love on, and feed all day. I'd think of the exposure to germs they'd be faced with and the therapy I wouldn't be able to take them to because it is only offered during the day. I'd think of the attention my sweet Jenna is thriving for and the management of Claire and Ellie and their schools and I'd try to convince myself that I would just "figure it out". I am a strong girl and I was determined to make it work. I'd think about the domestic responsibilities that would surely fall to the back burner. I'd think selfishly about wanting to be with other people during my day other than my own precious children. I'd think about being able to do so many things with Jenna that I wasn't able to do with my other girls. I'd think about the financial burden the loss of my income would bring upon our family and the financial strain 4 children in daycare brings upon our family. I'd think about all the people involved in my decision and the anxiety I was carrying around with me, made it hard to take a breath.

But when I searched and searched my heart for an answer, I just didn't have one. How to be the mom I desire to be while keeping my job and not disappointing others by taking off a year. My spirit was full of anxiety and I knew it couldn't last much longer.
I was prayed for by one of Rob's technicians, Nicole, yesterday afternoon. She prayed for me to experience clarity in my decision and for God to reveal to me what choice would be best. Within hours later, I walked in to Lee Fogles's house (where Jenna stays during the day) and as I talked with her about the pros and cons of staying home verses working, I felt a sense of peace implode my heart. Seriously, I physically felt the Holy Spirit answer me. I know it sounds crazy, but I have truly been seeking God on this one (not the first time in my life-obviously!)and I kept the verse Jeremiah 29:13- "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" That verse was one that Rob gave me in the hospital for my wall. So, God spoke to my heart through Lee Folge. I have talked with so many people about this, but for some reason (because that is just how God works sometimes), my answer came to me when I least expected it. I walked in her house to pick up Jenna with no intentions of making the decision, and I walked out with tears and a heart that finally felt peace at making the decision to take off a year. I don't think Lee said anything differently than I had already heard, it was just the "moment of peace" I felt that confirmed for me what I needed to do. I had been watching and listening for God to "speak" to me about this, and He did.

The tough part of the final decision was to tell my principal, who has been so wonderful to me in the years I have been at OMIS. And telling my best friend Elizabeth Studinka that she'd have to man the fort for one more year without me. May not seem like that huge of a deal, but it was. Dr.Maxwell was so supportive and helpful (as usual, she selflessly wanted to help me through this time, comfort me and encourage me). The hardest was facing Elizabeth. I felt diappointment and failure. She of course gave me a big ole hug and told me she loved me and "It was just a year"...but nonetheless, I left in tears!

I will miss my school, my teaching buddies, my principal, my students, my best friend Elizabeth that I've taught along side with many years (we're so close we can even finish each others sentences!), but it is only ONE year...we can do it. And I am grateful to have the time to spend with the boys while they are at such a vulnerable age, I am grateful to my husband who has supported me through it all. He is my constant support and I love him so much.

Lastly, as I have said before, I spent many days during my pregnancy praying with all of my heart and soul, that if God would spare their precious little lives and allow me the opportunity to be their mommy, I would do anything and everything I could to ensure their health and well being. I'll never forget those feelings as long as I live. I feel like sacrificing one year of my wants and desires to be a teacher is the least I can do. I have even thought that maybe all of this is taking place because there is something BIGGER going on here. Maybe God is allowing this to take place because I have some business to take care of for HIM. I have always wanted to get involved in a NICU ministry or perinatal ministry but "never had the time"...

This time in my life is just a small spec on the canvas of the beautiful life masterpiece God has created for me. I know He has a plan for it all. I trust Him in all I do. I look forward to seeing a bit more revealed over the next year. Thank you all who prayed for me and have encouraged me along the way. Your words and thoughts mean so much.

And for those of you who are battling a BIG decision in your own life, "Be still and know that HE is God" Psalm 46:10 My prayer for you would be that as you wait for the Lord to speak, you would find peace and comfort in knowing that He really does have it all planned out and under control!

Good Night!

A text message from GOD!

Yes, I need a text message from God. I have been praying about the decision to work or stay home next year. For several months now, I have been grappling with the idea of going back to work in August. Yes, I actually LIKE my job. I enjoy the time away from the kids and house chores (NO I am NOT a bad mother for saying it!), I work with amazing ladies that bring joy to my life, keep me laughing and give great companionship and advice when I need it. I enjoy teaching children and watching them succeed and prosper academically and socially all because I worked hard to "help them achieve"! I enjoy feeling like I have a tangible task ahead of me and challenges along the way to conquer in a day. I have phenomenal parents I bond with each year. So, yes, my job is a great one and I have been incredibly blessed to have it for 7 years. HOWEVER, for the first time in my life I am questioning whether me working my "job" would be the best choice for my family. It seems easy to say, STAY HOME...but many factors are involved in me staying home. This is a hot topic in our society..Moms who stay home look down upon those who work, and those who work think moms who stay home are crazy for not working! I have many friends, those who work and those who don't, and guess what...they all complain and are stressed out in equal amounts. I don't see the moms I work with any happier or more miserable than those of my friends who stay home. Each side has their own set of problems and stressors! So I am not searching for advice in what is the best decision for me, but what is the best decision for my family. I know God will give me a peace in what I should do. I earnestly feel that seeking HIM in this matter is more important than seeking the approval or advice of others.

I remember the verse Jeremiah 29:13 from my hospital days. My sweet husband sent it to me for my scripture wall. It says: "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart"

It is so true...seeking HIM with all your heart and finding HIM. Have you ever felt distant from God? We all have moments of drift. I think so many times we have concerns or problems within our lives that we assume can be handled from our own expertise. During our struggle we sense that God is not near, but far away. But then I think when we are left empty from trying to handle life in our own ways, that is when we go searching for God. My journey with the boys was a difficult one, the hardest thing I have ever had to come to terms with in my life. It wasn't until I finally hit my knees and sought HIM did I feel peace during my pregnancy. At times, I felt a spiritual peace that I know only comes from being in the presence of God. I will never forget the feelings of the shear terror and pure elation that wrapped so tightly around my heart during that time in my life.

If it happens to be that I go back to work, our family will be fine and we will survive best we can. If it happens to be that I have to re-direct my lifestyle to become a stay at home mom (temporarily), we will survive best we can. I know in my heart, that whatever decision I do make, will be made with careful thought and deep prayer.

I still stand in awe each day that I look at these precious baby boys and remember how incredibly fragile they were just 4 months ago. I savor each day with them. I take it all in, beacuse I know from previous experience, when the time is gone...it is gone!

Refreshed!

It feels great to be back home from my "girls weekend getaway". Here is a picture of me with my beach buddies...Jill Mullinax, Aimee Martin, Rashae Reeves, Natalie Hinds, and Pam Prickett.
We did what any exhausted, worn out, busy ALL THE TIME, supermom would have done at the beach for four days without children: EAT, LOUNGE, EAT, LOUNGE, EAT, LOUNGE!!! The weather was gorgeous and we thoroughly enjoyed each others company while soaking up some sun! We all made a pact to make May 1st weekend each year, our Mom's Getaway.
We all agreed that the time away was much needed but we were all so overjoyed to be returning home to our husbands and children.

The boys are doing well. Growing like weeds. They are smiling all the time and cooing at us when we "talk" to them. Their growth and development has been phenomenal. John David has interest in eating every other hour now..must be a growth spurt. My goodness that boy can eat. I am praying God will continue to bless my milk supply and I can keep up with them.

I am super tired so tonight's post is short. Thank you all for checking in with us. I will post some pics of the boys next time. Please continue to pray for their development and health.