Sunset Moments

This is a sunrise, not a sunset. 

I know.

But I didn't have a photo of a sunset

Yes, I get up this early every day. 

Not by choice.

On this particular day, I looked out the window and saw this pretty thing.

I had to snap a photo.

God's amazing and sunrises (sunsets) are beautiful.

I recently started reading a new book. 

It's really good. I think every mama should read it. 

Whether you spend lots of time on the phone/internet or not.

We all get distracted with the demands each day holds for us.

We all have a mile long to-do list.

We are all racing through life trying to get so many things done.

We are all missing important moments with our children. 

They are called sunset moments. 

My boys laying their heads on my shoulder to cuddle

The boys riding on the tractor

Crawling around on the floor chasing the boys

Playing peek a boo

...

and the list goes on and on.

These are all sunset moments.

Those moments that if I'm too busy and not paying attention I'm going to miss.

Time doesn't stop. 

If we don't stop, we will miss so much.

Because this is so good, here is an excerpt from this book:

"Life's Sunset Moments are glorious, rejuvenation, and gratifying to behold,

but when I'm caught up in daily distractions, they are so carelessly missed. 

If I just pretended to watch, I will miss them. If my hands are too busy doing

other things, I will miss them. If my body is present, but my mind is not, I will

miss them. If I hold on to distraction tighter than I grasp what really matters, I

will miss Sunset Moments time and time again."  -Rachel Macy Stafford.

In this day in age that is full of technology, this hands free mantra is really important.

So put down the phones, shut off the computers,

Take a break from pinning and tweeting and instagramming

and just BE.

Be with your little ones because they won't be little forever

Make the most of the time you have 

Set aside a little of each day just for them.

Put them first before that to-do list.

Now I'm not saying cut yourself off from all technology 

and do absolutely nothing but hang with the kiddos.

I'm just saying put more focus on those Sunset moments.

Don't miss out.

I'm far from perfect. 

I spend too much time focused on distractions.

I hold tightly to that to-do list.

It's really hard to let go. 

But sometimes you just have to. 

If you want to purchase this book (which is a really great idea)

It is only $5 at Family Christian. 

So go get it today before it's not on sale anymore.

Life is Better at the Lake

We went camping at that lake. It was kinda on a whim and pretty last minute, but so worth it. The weather was perfect, not too hot, not too cold. We put up our tent, grilled dinner, and enjoyed the outdoors.

The boys loved everything about the tent. It was a hit. I zipped them in and they just crawled, and laughed, and played for hours.

I could not get them to sit still long enough to get a good picture of them together.

Those eyes...cannot get over how blue they are.

I kept trying to get a picture with this little guy, but he just kept grabbing my face and kissing me. I have such sweet boys.

This was the highlight of the whole trip.

Camping can really wear you out

Once it got dark and the boys were pretty exhausted they went off to Grandma's house. We were ready to "brave" the outdoors, but not ready to "brave" the outdoors with twins. :) 

I can't wait until next year. Then the babes could actually stay with us. All I'll have to worry about then is two 2 year olds running into the campfire. That actually sounds more hectic. 

It was nice being alone for the night ( a very rare occasion). I also got no bug bites, which never ever happens. I couldn't believe it. 

The next morning we went kayaking until my arms hurt, and then took the jet ski out on the water. It was a blast. I could camp every weekend!

The Big Rig

So thankful I got to spend time with this guy, just the two of us :)

Of course I had to take a cheesy picture on the jet ski. I couldn't help myself.

All About Things Part 2

The morning of the party was kinda crazy. I planned on the boys taking naps ALL MORNING LONG. Because I planned on it, it did not happen. They barely slept. Thankfully they were great sports, and although looked very tired were pretty happy most of the day.

Thing 1 and Thing 2

Oh, Eli!

Lane refused to pose for pictures.

Happy Birthday to you, little things!

Lane demolished his cupcake and tried a tiny bite.

Eli just put a little icing in his hair.

Then we opened presents.

They got a bunch of really great gifts.

Then it was time for the grand finale! The pinata. I really loved this pinata, especially for a one year old birthday party. It's a pull string pinata, and all the kids pull a string instead of swinging a bat...much safer. This was actually a lot of fun. Even though Lane and Eli really had no clue what was going on, the other kids had a blast. 

And, they got tons of candy. 

Overall, I'd say the birthday party was a great success. I'm so thankful to all the family members that helped me pull everything off, and for all the friends and family that came to celebrate our precious boys. 

All About Things part 1

I cannot believe that my little babies are turning one. Where did the time go?

To celebrate our boys, we had a Dr. Suess Thing 1 and Thing 2 birthday party. I wanted to use the Dr. Suess theme because twins and things go hand in hand, and when the boys can talk they will probably be asking for tractor and truck parties, not Dr. Suess.

It was so much fun planning and partying. I tried to keep it pretty simple. Some people have extravagant Suess parties with themed food and all sorts of beautiful decorations, but I knew I wouldn't be able to pull all that off.

I bought invitations at www.birthdayexpress.com and then because I wanted it to be more personal I printed out my own words to cover up the generic inside of the invite.

I also wanted the boys to be in full costume for their party, so they had to have blue wigs. But wouldn't you know, it's near impossible to find blue hair wigs for babies. So, I made my own. 

It was pretty easy. I just sewed up a little hat for them and hot glued the feather boa to the hat. 

Thank God for hot glue guns. Unfortunately, I tend to make things way ahead of when I'll actually need them and Lane's head grew (can you imagine that?) so his hat was a bit snug. 

I cut out cardboard arrows, painted them and made this sign to greet everyone at the front door. This was probably my favorite decoration. 

I made the happy birthday sign as well. I wanted to use a kite as the sign since the Things in "The Cat in the Hat" fly a kite through the house. 

I bought the boys books for all the party guests to sign.

And...you can't forget about cute candy boxes. I bought these for all the kiddos to put their candy in from the pinata. It was nice having a pinata, because then I didn't really have to think about party favors and everyone still got something to take home. And, who doesn't love candy?

As far as food goes, I made cupcakes and we had candy, goldfish, and drinks. I tried making the cupcakes look like the Things' hair.

Cupcake Closeup

This was all pretty much a before the party post. Tomorrow in Part 2 I will post about the party with lots of cute pictures of little baby things and their friends. :) 

I will leave you with this though....

A Thing on the loose!

Green Thumb

I'm so excited for the garden we are going to have this year. We have already planted some of our seeds in the house and will be planting everything outside sometime this month.
I bought this giant plant stand for my husband's birthday. He decided the best place for it was in our living/dining room. It has overtaken the space and I can't wait until we can move it somewhere else!

Hopefully just a few more weeks before this thing makes its' way outside.

All our little seeds just waiting to come up.

We have a baby seedling! It's so exciting when they first come up. 

And now....

We have a garden growing in the living room. :)

If you need cute gardening accessories, Go To TARGET. I could have spent all day and $100's of dollars in the outdoor section. It was so hard to pick just a few things.

Can't wait to use these!

Midnight Bliss

It's midnight. My dreams of planting gardens and fields of wildflowers are suddenly interrupted by a wail. I reach over tiredly to put my glasses on, and I count silently in my head. 1. 2. 3. Oh, yep, there it is, the sound of two cries at the same time.
"Oh dear," I think. "They are both awake."
I throw the covers off and roll out of bed. I stumble across the dark hallway into their room. I go to the one who I think I heard cry first and hope the other one will just stop crying and patiently wait their turn.
I carry him into the kitchen and start making bottles. I scoop the formula in the water and silently ask, "Why?"
"Why can't they just sleep all night?"
"I'm so tired."
"urrrrr...grrrr....murrrrr"

The tired little boy grasps my arm and rests his head on my shoulder waiting for me to finish making bottles. His hair is like the waves tossed about in a storm. We make our way back to the bedroom, and I proceed to feed him.
Sigh
I am tired. 
As I feed him, I study his soft features. As he sucks the bottle dry, his eyelids close. I watch his chest moving up and down. I kiss the top of his head and breathe him in.
"This is midnight bliss," I tell myself.
I pull him closer not wanting to forget this moment.
This moment of midnight bliss. This moment that someday I'd try to remember. This moment that won't last forever. This moment to "stop and smell the roses" as people say.
I didn't care anymore about being tired, because suddenly I realized that someday I'd long to have a little baby to hold in the night.
I carried his sleepy frame back to his room, laid him in his crib, watched him for a moment.
I crossed the room to my other precious boy, picked him up, and started all over again.
This is midnight bliss.

*On a side note, I have to give a shout out to the husband, who had to get up at 4:30 to go work a 16 hour shift, yet he still kindly and calmly asked, "What can I do to help?"*

Thanksgiving = Thanksliving

I've had a little extra time on my hands this week, so I've been reading.
I'm almost finished with "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp. I've been reading it for months now, but as a mom finishing a book is near impossible. Last night as I was reading I was so touched. The words jumped right off the page and into my heart. My perspective was changed. I started to see things a different way. It was like a light flickered on and all of the sudden thanksgiving had a whole new meaning.

Ann writes:
"Eucharisteo means "to give thanks," and give is a verb, something that we do. God calls me to do thanks. To give the thanks away. That thanks-giving might literally become thanks-living. That our lives become the very blessings we have received.
I am blessed. I can bless. Imagine! I could let Him make me the gift!
I could be the joy!"

"Scratching a stubborn pot furiously with a wire scrubby, I remember it again, what I once read of liturgy. That liturgy had its roots in the Greek word leitourgia, meaning "public work" or "public servant." The meaning! This life of washing dishes, of domestic routine, it can be something wholly different. This life of rote work, it is itself public work, a public serving- the mundane work can become the living liturgy of the Last Supper. I could become the blessing, live the liturgy! I rinse pots and sing it softly, "This is my song of thanks to You..."

"When the laundry is for the dozen arms of children or the dozen legs, it's true, I think I'm due some appreciation. So comes a storm of trouble and lightening strikes joy. But when Christ is at the center, when dishes, laundry, work is my song of praise to Him, joy rains. Passionately serving Christ alone makes us the loving servant to all. When the eyes of the heart focus on God, and the hands on always washing the feet of Jesus alone- the bones, they sing joy, and the work returns to it's purest state: eucharisteo. The work becomes worship, a liturgy of thankfulness."

"'The work we do is only our love for Jesus in action,' writes Mother Teresa. 'If we pray the work...if we do it to Jesus, if we do it for Jesus, if we do it with Jesus... that's what makes us content.'
That is what makes us content- the contented, deep joy is always in the touching of Christ- in whatever skin He comes to us in."

"It's the astonishing truth that while I serve Christ, it is He who serves me. Jesus Christ still lives with a towel around His waist, bent in service to His people...in service to me, as I serve, that I need never serve in my own strength."

I often find myself looking at that long list of things piling up each day. Things I would rather ignore. Things I honestly wish I didn't have to do. Things that often times I let stress me out.
It all comes back to thanksgiving.
Thank you, Jesus, that I am able, able to do things- to work, to take care of children, to wash dishes, to scrub the floors, to fold the laundry.
All these mundane tasks that I am faced with each day don't have to be mundane. Instead, how exciting to think about how the Lord is using me to bless my family? He is using my hands to work- to bless.
I am a gift. What an amazing perspective on life. How could I not be filled with joy knowing that each day when I feel weary from all the work, I spent the day blessing- blessing those I love the most?
I want my work to be worship. I want my heart to be filled with joy. I want to be thankful.

What an wonderful picture to imagine- Jesus serving me, while I serve others. He has blessed me to be a blessing. He has served me and called me to serve. I not only want to bless and serve my family, but it  is my true heart's desire to bless and serve others- everyone I come in contact with.
Lord, continue to teach me to be a blessing. Show me how to truly serve.

If you haven't read this book, you should. It will change your life. Seriously. This has been one of my favorite books that I've ever read. It has completely changed my perspective. When times get tough, when I feel weary, when I just want the day to be over, I'm learning to start thanking Jesus. It's amazing how quickly thanksgiving can change your attitude. It's amazing how quickly thanksgiving cultivates joy.