Still Sweet @ 16!

Master Chief & the Arbiter...Adam got a kick out of his Halo Birthday Cake!

Fabulous Fourteen!

                          

Our babies are 14!  What can I say?!

Silliness

The girls celebrated their 13th Birthdays by having their 2 best gals over for a sleep-over...
Speak no Evil..Hear no Evil...See no Evil...Don't Smell Evil!

Malia, Bethanne, Rachel & Cali

Sugar & Beeps are 13

3 weeks before I delivered

Rachel at 4 days old, Thanksgiving Day 1996
Bethanne at 4 days old, Thanksgiving Day 1996

February 1997, the girls were 3 months old here. Rachel is on the left.

The girls were 6 months old in this picture. Taken at my parents place in Colorado.

July 1997...bath-time! Bethanne...

Rachel...

The girls in August 1997, 9 months old, eating...peanut-butter and jelly....eekkk! Things sure have changed in 13 years!

The girls 1st Birthday Party! Aunt Laura is holding Bethanne.

Aunt Suzanne is holding Rachel.

The girls yesterday, one day before their 13th Birthday....

Rachel is on the left...

I could spend days, uploading photos of the girls over the years. They have truly been a blessing to my life. I know ALL moms say that about their babies, but I really feel this way. They were a total surprise to Dave and I. There was a time when I was overwhelmed with the thought of having 3 kids under the age of 2 and not knowing how I would be able to do what is best and what is right for them. The LORD has shown Himself ALL SUFFICIENT. His master plan has and will continue to be BEAUTIFUL. So, here's to my gals...the smartest and most beautiful teenage girls I know...(((wink)))...You are my greatest accomplishment and my greatest reward.

Happy 40th Daddy! <<>>

From the girls to Dave for his birthday!

2:02 a.m., 10 lbs. 5 ozs.

Adam at 2:02 am this morning.

At Adam's Birthday Dinner last night.

Eatin' those clams he loves!

My Buddy turned 14 today!

Time has soared since that day I held him in my arms for the first time. It actually wasn't that magical at the moment. I was thinking "Wow, I did ALL that WORK for this?!" Don't hate me, I'd just been up for a very very long time and I was exhausted! My birthing story is very traumatic, you can ask me about it if you really want to hear all the details! But soon the physical pain and exhaustion passed and he became my Little Man. Tender, loving, giving, smiley, with plenty of naughtiness too! He hated to be held & to nurse. He loved bananas & airplanes (still does)

But labor didn't end at his birth. It only began. Some people spend months learning how to birth a child but no time learning how to raise a child for the next 18 or so years. All that information/education for a 24 hour period, but nothing for the 157,000 or so hours after that. I've spent the last 14 years giving everything I've got to grow this human being into someone who loves the Lord and serves Him with his all and is a valuable part of society. Sometimes I wish I could just *push* for a couple hours and out would pop this wonderful human, but it doesn't work like that. When people say what wonderful children I have, I take the time to let them know that is was a team effort. Both us parents and the kids working really hard together. As he has been growing, so have I. It is true that they are little mirrors, they just reflect back to you what you are all about. Very sobering and humiliating at times & refreshing and lovely at others (thank You Lord!). The hardest part for me about today is all the questions circling around in my head: Have I done enough? Did I teach him correctly? What if....? Does he know how to do....? How have I hindered him? Did I give him enough opportunities? Did I discipline him too much or not enough? Does he.....(fill in the blank)? He's 14!!! Not too many more years with me. He IS growing into the man I hoped he'd be one day. That brings me great comfort and joy. Yet I am determined to continue the HARD work & labor of raising my son to be a Godly man. A man who is a reflection of his heavenly Father and not a reflection of his earthly mother.

11:11 am, 7 lbs 9 ozs & 11:41 am, 8 lbs 7 ozs

11:41 am yesterday

11:11 am yesterday

"Twins! We're having TWINS!" "I need a beer!" Yes, those were the words of my husband when he found out that God would be blessing us with 2 more children instead of 1. I was in for my routine 4 1/2 month ultrasound. Granted I was huge and I felt like an octopus was living inside of me, but the Doctors & us thought I was just having another large baby like Adam. Boy were we all wrong! The sonographer squeezed that blue jelly on my belly and took one swipe with the wand and there went two heads! Our lives have never been the same.

My girls turned 12 yesterday! I can honestly say I didn't see it coming!

We had a wonderful day together which started with a trip to the local coffee shop and then a haircut at the salon (as opposed to Mom's Salon). The girls had each picked out a hairstyle they liked and one they thought they could maintain themselves. The most shocking part of the salon experience is when Bethanne's hair came off. 1st with a donation to Locks of Love and next with her new stylin' do! I had no problem with the hair coming off, just a problem with the extra beautiful girls underneath! I think they look so much like Dave's sister Suzanne, which is ok by me, she is beautiful.

After lunch at home we went to a few of their favorite stores, TJ Maxx & Mels. Adam bought each of the girls a present, a large pink cut glass stone for Bethanne & a cute little Christmas decoration for Rachel. It is a little statue of an acorn with a cardinal sitting on top all dusted in glittery snow.

At 6 we headed to our favorite dinner spot Mizuna. Our waiter Chris bought the girls birthday drinks and we had a BLAST laughing, taking pictures & having a great family night. Dave showed up with a dozen roses for each of the girls. They were so excited. Bethanne "tried" to ask Chris to pack up her desert in a to-go box....it was ice cream!

Next we found ourselves at home singing Happy Birthday as the girls blew out their 12 candles in their new snow-man jammies.

I am bummed too. I tried to scan pictures of the girls when they were born but our scanner isn't working. I'm sure you'll believe me when I say they were the most beautiful babies ever born!

Thanksgiving is always around the girls birthday. We actually came home with them on Thanksgiving during Ice Storm in '96. The whole family was without power so we ordered pizza! Very memorable to say the least.