the babies are here!

                                                                                     

                   well they are here as i'm sure most of you already know.  it's been a crazy but wonderful 2 weeks. new babies are such an amazing blessing. i've been trying to enjoy every moment of this time. we waited and worried and prayed for months and now they are here and all we hoped for has come. As i was up last night trying to get the babies to sleep i was struck by how precious these babies are. And i felt so encouraged by how God has brought them to us and also has given us everything we need to care for them and to help them thrive. I don't need to just "get through" these next few months but we can truly enjoy them. God really has all we need. It really has been amazing seeing God work through the pregnancy and He hasn't stopped now that they are here. we've had a few tough times and i have really worried that i may not be able to do this. Every time i get to that point and i start to pray God shows me a way or causes both babies to fall asleep so i can get some rest. It really seems to be immediate answers! He is being very merciful to me in this time.

                                                            
                          Josh went back to work wednsday and i have to say i was very worried but it has been very good. Thursday the babies must have been having a growth spurt b/c they were nursing non-stop. I only got off the couch to feed the other children and go to the bathroom. it wasn't easy but i was able to get through without feeling completly discouraged and God had mercy on me that evening when i was able to have a really great night of sleep. There have been so many examples of God's love and mercy during this time.
I am so thankful for all of this and am so glad for where God has brought me. this isn't a life i would have chosen for myself but it's way better than anything i could have imagined.
on a side note, where is the spell check around here? i could really use that. sorry about the horrible punctuation, spelling, and capitalization.

Baby time's a comin!

Well it has been an interesting few days. Friday had a Dr. appointment and we were told our little girl isn't growing anymore. she has been at about 6lbs. for several weeks now.  this was pretty worrisome to us. the dr. said she isn't in any distress but that it may be better to get them out sooner than later. Our son is having no problems and measuring in at over 8lbs!  So the midwife came in and stripped my membranes in hopes of getting my labor started.  this is not something i would want done again. OUCH! then they sent me home with an appointment for monday so we can make a plan to get these babies out. This was all very stressful for me especially because i had to be there alone. So now I am home waiting for labor to start and we have had nothing yet. My babies don't want to come out yet. It's so funny how we wanted so much for them to stay in and now they can't get out fast enough! So then on top of it all I have a nasty cold that is wiping me out! So josh worked a half day sat and I was able to sleep all day. which is why it's 4:45 Am and i can't sleep. I am definetly feeling better and just trying not to be anxious about the babies. But thinking about it definetly is keeping me up.
I am very thankful though for all God has done through this pregnancy. He has been so faithful in answering our prayers in a very real way. continuing to remind myself this is the best thing for me. can't wait to meet these little ones.

Time is ticking away

                 Sometimes when i'm pregnant it seems like it will never end but this time seems like it is going by way too fast. We are definetly prepared as much as you can be. Sometimes I don't think it has really sunk in for us yet. We are getting ready to welcome 2 babies into our house, again. Whenever I have the time to think about it I go through a myriad of emotions. A little scared. Or I guess just worried that i may not be able to handle it all. Excited! Excited that i have been blessed with these babies . But then when I stop I mostly feel at peace about it and looking forward to what is to come.
                I am almost 34 weeks and thats as far as I made it with the first twins. I am praying to make it even one more week past that (hopefully more).  but either way the babies will be here very soon. I can't wait to meet them. And of course the other children are so excited too.
               I'm starting to feel HUGE! i mean it this is not just me having low self-esteem or something, i am huge! her is a fun Photo to prove it to you!

Yep and that was over 2 weeks ago! I'm even bigger now! scares me just a little to see how big i can get. oh well this is all such a fun adventure. 

Having a choice

God is so good to us. He takes care of things even when i have given up. So anyway the Dr. i was seeing told me there wwas no way they would ever let me try a VBAC for this pregnancy and I would need to plan my C-section. They even said that if i refused a C-section they would have to call there laywers and have them present for the birth. So basically my choice in the matter was completly taken from me. Josh and I were pretty unhappy about it but we felt God wanted us to submit and give it over to HIm. So we did, I even called to schedule my C-section trusting that this was the best thing for us. then out of the blue on wednesday last week i ended up talking to my midwife (who was going to do the homebirth before we knew we were having twins) she was not happy and said that she had some ideas and i should keep trying to find  a better alternative. So she called a few Dr's and they were all booked. then the last Dr on the list i called and he asked to see me about an hour later. so the kid's and i headed down to elmira which is about 45 minutes away. and soon i was talking with this wonderful dr. who said he would be happy to let me try a VBAC. to me this was like a miracle. something we never thought possible. So we quickly changed Dr.'s that day! to me it's just an amazing provision from God that we really didn't expect. So we will see how things go. I may still have to have a C-section but atleast i know i have a choice and that has not been taken away from me!
So we are getting more excited by the minute to meet Ephraim and Vashti. I love them so much all ready and feel hugely blessed to be able to carry twins again!
32 weeks wed! I'm thinking about 6-7 weeks and they will be here! wow.

oops forgot a few things

I hit enter before i was done so today you all get 2 posts! lucky! So pregnancy is going pretty well. actually i am feeling pretty blessed to have things go so well. The dr.'s love to tell you all the worse case scenarios but God can do anything and He has shown Himself to my so much through this pregnancy. I'm actually getting pretty excited to meet these little ones and it won't be much longer.

here is a pregnancy picture at 26 weeks i think i'll try to post a newer one because i am much bigger now! Things are really good and i have been trying to get some sewing done now because i know i won't have much time later. I just sewed several pairs of our favorite fleece yoga pants from this pattern : http://littlecomettails.kingstondesign.com/

very fun and easy pattern to sew. They work great as diaper covers or really comfy, warm baby pants. Judah love them so much. He is potty-trained now but he still wears them everyday!

Also very excited about doug and Leah's new blog http://commonwings.blogspot.com/

I think it is great so if you are reading this you should get over there right away!

Where has the time gone?

so It's been almost 2 years since i've blogged. i actually forgot my password and how to get to my own blog. So i am going to try this again. I won't go over the past 2 wonderful years that might get kind of boring for you all. anyway here i am 8 months pregnant with twins. I'm thinking i will just write about life and hope it's not too boring.

PAPA festival

Well we made it back from papa fest and it was great! we drove through the night 13 hours which worked out OK but we were all pretty tired by the time we got there. We set up and then we were moving! workshops for us and the kids. The video is of Lillian drumming in the west African drumming workshop. what a cutie! There were bands and dancing. so much fun. the best part of the weekend was the people. It was so incredible to meet so many people on the same page as us. sometimes we feel like we are alone but these guys knew what was up. I always expect(as do most people) that people that look crazy must have some crazy doctrines but they were all so grounded and crazy about Jesus. It's so refreshing to meet people that don't fit the normal conservative christian mold. Christians can be pacifists, environmentalists, anarchists, and activists. They don't all have to be Republicans that are supporting the war in Iraq. We had some great discussions about community too. We are really feeling God moving us in that direction and it really seems like something is going to happen! It was great hearing from some of the more established communities and how it works for them. We are just so excited about what God is doing.

PAPA fest was held on a Mennonite community farm and it was so neat! The way they live is really beautiful. seeing how life could be made it really hard for Josh to head back to Kionix today! Then when he got to work he found out that they are moving to 12 hour days and that does not make him very happy at all! So we really need to pray.

The trip home took us a little longer (16 hours) but we made it and the kids did an incredible Job. so that is that. It was great just like i knew It would be. I also took a dread lock workshop so we will see where that leads :) ?