Multitude Monday

I’m not sure when life is going to slow down again.  I can hardly believe another week has passed.  But this week has been full of gifts from the Father. 
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• Becca hanging out with Aeralind while I took Bronwyn to the Dr. Alone
• A Good Lung Re-Check
• Playing with Bronwyn alone in the office
• Finding Aerie asleep in a hammock swing when I returned!
• Bronwyn finally sleeping through the Night again!
• Little girls refusing to eat a cut up strawberry.  Only a whole one (leaves and all!) will do!
• Strawberries on sale
• Bronwyn wave-she’s such a flirt
• Aeralind hug-flying fast and with big squeezes
• Talking with Julia
• Finally binding the quilt I’ve been working on forever.
• Babies blowing kisses at me
• A day warm enough to play in the yard (or maybe I’m jsut getting used to the coldness)
• Little girls lifting shirts and babbling “Baba Bab Ba!” (Belly Button)
• Runny noses lessening
• Playing in the yard with the girls
• Grilled Cheese
• 2 consecutive nights of sleep
• Baby hugs
• Jump in my arms off the waffle tower game
• Baby Dragon noises as the playfully challenge Derek and I to chase them
• Laughter–oh, sweet laughter!– squealy laughter, upside down laughter, baby laughter.
• My emotionally strong husband
• Moving Quiet Graces Photography to WordPress
• Walking hand in had up the street with two girls
• Free Chick-fil-a Spice Breakfast bisquit day
• A half sleepless night to discipline me in love
• Being able to attend volunteer training for six hours without the babies
• Making friends with Joanna at the training
• Inviting Joanna over to sew costumes for her and her babies and my family
• Derek watching the girls so I could go
• The time period of Roper Mountain’s Living History Fram being 1810– That means new costumes for me and Derek!
• Already owning a suitable print for one of the girls’ dresses
• a slow and quiet birthday
• stuffed mushrooms
• lemon cake with raspberry filling and stablized whip cream frosting
• Playing jump off the mega waffle blocks with the girls
• Birthday snow!
• 8 inches of accumulation!
• Bundling wiggly girls up to play in snow– including their Ziploc and Rubberband boots 🙂
• Little girls sitting on our laps as we go through snow photos
• A rare 1.5 hour nap after their snow adventures
• unseasonably inexpensive apricots
• A local CSA to join with Heirloom tomatoes
• A snow day with Daddy
• 3 consecutive nights sleep
• chili on a cold day

And the year has come to a whip whirling end.  Two sick babies, nebulizer treatments, lost sleep, and frazzled moments.  It was all I could do to hang on. 

And then…

briefly

a reprieve. 

A two day adventure without babies.  Moments frozen.  Enjoyed.  Slow time together.  What a gift.

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• Not getting RSV last year
• 153. Only Bronwyn being completely plowed over by RSV this year
• Silly Aeralin playing all by her self squealing while Bronwyn snuggled
• Rare Bronwyn snuggles
• Derek being able to work from home even though his boss was on vacation.
• Jenny B lending me a nebulizer and saving us a tone of money
• Ruthie taking time out of her busy week to watch the girls so this exhausted momma could nap
• Unexpected dinner and humidfier from Barb
• Aerie sleeping through the night
• Bronwyn sleeping alright in our bed
• Potato soup from Heather
• Long afternoon nap
• A good pediatrican 
• Antibiotics and breathing treatments–despite the cost
• Farm Nan and Aunt Ruthie hosting a sleep over with the girls despit their sickness
• a full night sleep
• 2 days with just Derek and I!!!!
• My birthday lens. So fast! So sharp!
•  Cheese fondue with the Birthday Derek
• Walking around and photographing at Furman lake
• Running pricing worksheets with Derek’s help
• Babies returned safely and in better health than when they left
• Baby hugs when they returned
• Bronwyn sitting with daddy with little crossed ankles
• Farm stories from Ruthie and the girls
• Cosy coup fun
• A slow day at home with the girls
• Warm weather calling us all outside
• Pushing little girls in Cozy Coups at a local park
• Little Aeralind climbing the play set, turning around backwards, and coming down an 8-foot slide all while I stood at the bottom!
• Bronwyn recovering from her clingy quiet feverish self to her usual quirky crazy non-stop self.
• Family donut time
• Aeralind bringing only orange balls out of the ball pit
• Aeralind handing me and orange ball and laughing in shock as that ball turns out to be a tangerine!
• Shrimp alfredo
• Bronwyn only crying 2.5 hours the first night we felt she was healthy enough to sleep on her own
• Bronwyn only crying a little over 1 hour the second night we felt she was healthy enough to sleep on her own
• Derek and I taking turns to soothe her and committing together to stand up against her sweet (how precious to want to sleep with mommy and daddy!) but strong will.
• Sleeping in 🙂
• Husband snuggles as Bronwyn finally falls asleep

It’s been a long and chaotic week, but brimming full of blessings.
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• Last dreary dark day of winter ending. Hope in the sun shining longer each day.
• Making Christmas cookies each evening this week.
• Epecially the chocolate and pecan dipped short breads
• Someone in the neighborhood practicing Christmas carols on trumpet? french horn?
• Dreams still coming true
• Dinners made with random leftover
• Reading Little House on the Prairie aloud to the girls
• Bronwyn handing me Little House to read after lunch
• Both girls putting their clean clothes up (it may be awhile before their drawers see folded laundry again. lol!)
• Aeralind retrieving books for me to put back on shelves
• Warm weather forecast for tomorrow
• Little girls staying up late with gas
• Late night time to doodle with crayons and toddlers on wrapping paper
• Going outside for a warm day without having to bundle babies
• Reading books while eating lunch
• Getting my Perrier Christmas letter-Love it!
• Sunshine!!!
• Bronwyn stalking my gratitude journal

• Bronwyn on the tabletop licking cookies
• Aerlind: Mud Princess

• My DSLR and the sweet husband who bought it for me in Feb 2009
• My sweet God who orchestrated my breaking my old point and shoot digital camera right before we found out there were 2 babies in me.  We never would have spent taht money on a DSLR had we know we were having two!
• My pediatrician not questioning delaying the MMR or Hep B.
• A Day of Chaco weather to clear out the winter drearies
• Plowing through a ton of catch-up posts on my new photography site.
• Going to bed early before a night with a lot of wake ups
• A mopped kitchen floor
• A husband who helped me mop
• Warm sunshine streaming in even when it is cold out
• A partial scholarship to the YMCA so I can swim laps whenever I want!
• Frozen meals
• Christmas crafting finished early
• Staining my paints before tossing in the last load of darks
• My ssiter arriving safe
• Sick babies waking up and playing with their Aunt Kay for awhile
•  Tears of frustration because of lack of sleep and whining babies: recognizing points of weakness
• Yummy Christmas breakfast with family
• The girls ripping open packages and hand out gifts

• The generosity of my family
• Stuffed mushrooms
• Relatively smooth transition to one nap
• Playing with Cozy Coups and Giant Waffle Blocks on the floor
• Christmas naps
• The first white Christmas in South Carolina in 45 years!!!
• Dad’s famous Christmas meal.  
• Blueberry Cheesecake
• Sharing memoris with mom
• A teal Dress for me
• Little girls playing in the snow

• Sick babies sleeping in my bed
• Gift Cards
• A peaceful, restful Monday

The gratitude journal was mostly closed this week.

Silent on top of a stack of books.

Crowded out by half-made gifts and uncompleted projects.

Only one praise was rendered down last week.

Short and sweet

1099. Little girls sleeping with momma-made dolls wearing A&B’s preemie clothing.

The longing to go back and re-record the days is great.  To whisper thanks to the One who gave it all.  To hold that gratitude in focus rather than the complaining and bitterness seeping forth to fight with Derek.

Oh Lord, there’s always this moment now! Firmly grasp my heart now and tune it to sing praise to You.

• Dish drying rack that doubles to dry paper
• Little girls ‘petting’ the Christmas tree
• Playing ‘dress-up’ with the girls and their constant cries of “ha (t)!” even when they’re holding a scarf
• Cocolate godlfish–they taste like the best parts of a smore
• Little girls thoughtfully chewing on the chocolate goldfish saying “num” (yum)
• Mandy coming over one more time- even though she did not feel well- to babysit before returning to Korea
• Girls introduced to their first PB and Banana sandwich
• Homemade yogurt
• Handing out with Karen at Ellen’s house
• Listening to crazy stories from Steven
• Ellen inviting us over
• ChanWey
• Sensory Balls and fetch
• Discovering and installing PSE actions for quick photo effects
• Stories-all of them
• The Grandest Story ever
• Holding tiny hands
• Little girls warming right up to magical “uncle” Josh
• Josh watching the girls for 5 hours!!
• A quiet lunch at Panera with Derek
• Wanting to shout “Amen” at the end of Voyage of the Dawn Treader
• Both Derek and I crying during the movie
• “Lucy, what have you done?… You’ve wished yourself away….you doubt your value.” Oh the truth there!
• Seeing The Story being told on the movie screen in fairy tale metaphors
• Talking with Josh
• Taking photos of Tamara’s family again
• Having the quilt finally basted after many road blocks!
• Little girls trying to drink stir fry from bowls
• finding out 3-7 words is totally normal at 15 months
• Bronwyn walking hand and hand with a nurse voluntarily to the exam room
• Clear ears!!!
• Hot water heater
• Freezer meals
• Brandt heading home less than one week after his second surgery to correct a heart that would have been useless a few decades ago.
• A vist to a friend who wasn’t home that turned into a visit to the mall playground
• The darkest days of winter coming to a close
• Bitter cranberry juice-but only as it helps me feel better
• Having a sudden fabulous idea for my dad’s Christmas gift (wouldn’t you like to know, Dad :-p)
• Mom crocheting me some baby photo props
• People who speak grace to me
• Exhaustion telling me to slow down
• A heater that works
• Steak with homemade mushroom and caramelized onion sauce
• Bronwyn trying to figure out how to whistle
• Aeralind sitting behind Josh playing peekaboo
• Aeralind snuggles after church
• Painter tap on glasses to mark whose is whose
• the oven going on a cold day
• Cobwebs in my windows
• Last puffy clouds passing by day

• Tamara coming to redo some of Lydia’s photos
• Little girls sleeping with momma-made dolls wearing their preemie clothing