Valentine's Flowers

This is a little late but Kyle gave me flowers for Valentines and they dried (in the vase) so pretty I thought, so I took a picture.

Just some pictures

Just thought I would put some pictures up. I thought I had taken more pictures than I really had. The girls are doing so great. For sure we are holding off on doing the surgery on Carly's arm until 2-3 years old and we are pretty sure it will be done here in Boise....until something changes in her arm that we didn't anticipate. Also, she now has teeth like Madison and I haven't got a picture of the elusive pearlies yet. I also plan on putting some video up but I'm still trying to figure out how to run my video setting on my camera....I guess it would help if I read the directions instead of just pushing buttons right? Anyways, pictures!

Yes that is a beard of drool on Madison's chin... and she is starting to get up on all fours in prep for crawling!

Teamwork: I'm not sure what they are working on-maybe just holding hands (Madison left, Carly right)

Just thought they looked so sweet together! (Mckenna left, Carly right) Madison wasn't behaving so she is the green color you can see on the bottom right corner.

New Pictures!

I guess it's been awhile since I have posted pictures... so here are a few and updates:
Pretty much everyone just keeps on growing and doing so well. Mckenna and Madison don't have much new news except that Mckenna is now 14 1/2 lbs. and Madison is 15 1/2 lbs. Carly is a whopping 16 1/2 lbs! I always worry and want to take her off her milkshake-like formula but they keep on telling me that she is actually at a healthy weight and the other two are a little underweight--so I guess I won't worry anymore.

Carly's trip to Boston has been postponed for now. They really don't want to operate on the arm until they have to so they want to wait until she is a little older (2-3 years old). So even though I just want to get it over with, I guess this is the best thing in the long run. If it ever starts really affecting her development though, then we would move it up. Until then, she's going to be Popeye. She really uses it so well, in fact, she is dominant using the right even though it is so much bigger. She does have a short ulna but it keeps on growing and hopefully will catch up with the radius bone (ulna-radius are the two big bones running down the forearm) and so far doesn't really affect her grasping things with her hand or rotating or anything. I'm kind of bummed not to get moving with it, but in the long run whatever is better for her is most important. Plus, if she is a little older, we might have a possibility of having a radiologist here in Boise do the surgery instead of packing up and heading to Boston. Not that I really would like seeing Boston--- just not with a little baby in tow having surgery there. So..... pictures!

Mckenna holding one of their beloved toys.

Bleary-eyed Mom and Kenners snuggling.

Madison- this makes her look so innocent when she usually is quite mischievous.

Madison and Carly- the girls really like to hold hands these days.

Carly on her belly- thought her facial expression was funny.

All the girls together! L to R: Madison, Mckenna, Carly

Where's Madison?

The other night I had put all the girls on our rug in front of our TV, had walked away, and when we looked back, Madison was nowhere to be seen! Upon further inspection, we found her here, underneath the bouncer. She stayed busy with looking at the bottom of that bouncer for a good 30 minutes!

Who's going to get it?

Who's going to get the lion?
Madison usually wins... look at the look of determination on her face... and then Carly usually cries when she doesn't get it...

Just thought this next was a funny picture... she's really into this face these days...

New Teeth!

I don't know if you can see it but Madison sprouted not one but "two" teeth in the last month! Mckenna still has the tiny little white dot that she had a month ago. It's very frustrating to her. But don't let Madison get around her other sister's hands because she likes to taste (and usually bite) their fingers--and she bites hard! It even hurts my fingers.

Also, Carly started rolling (only once) on her own tonight!

Inspirational story

I have a good friend that sent me this woman's blog. She posted an amazing post in the last couple days and I just had to share... Good perspective. She had twins, a boy (Dawson) and a girl (Mallory) and the little boy just passed away:

One Day We Will Know Who They Are:

So, I am back home. Trying to adjust. Trying to unpack. Trying to pack all of Dawsons things away. Trying not to cry...too much.

Yes, it is an adjustment. The last couple of days I have wanted to hold my Little D so bad. I miss the weight of him on my shoulder and his little lippers on my neck saying "Buh Buh Buh".
However, his presence is felt. Almost constantly. I love that! I must say that in the days since my sweet sons passing I have really gotten to KNOW him. Oh, I thought I knew just how amazing he was. I was wrong. He is more than that! My sweet hubby put it best when he said thinking about D makes the mountains seem small.

So here is the thought I have had since the funeral that I want you to ponder until I can gather myself enough to get back to the other things....hopefully in the next day or two.

Many times since Dawson's passing I have thought about who he truly is. I now we treated him well, but I find myself thinking how amazing it would be if I could know him like this, and THEN go back and do it all over again. Really honoring who he is. Feeling that constantly in our home.
Then the thought occured to me...."What is stopping you from believing that ALL children carry within them something amazing. Something sacred. Something pure and Christlike. Something WE are supposed to learn FROM THEM?"

"Think on that for a moment", as a dear dear man I once knew would say. Really pause and think about the spirits that live within your children, your siblings, your neices and nephews, your grandchildren. Do we treat our children like they are SPECIAL TO THE LORD? Because they are, you know, SPECIAL TO THE LORD.

My little Mally has struggles ahead. Struggles that will try the patience of her far from perfect parents. So, here is the thought I choose to have about the spirit that inhabits her tiny frame:
Perhaps there was a conversation that went something like this, "Father, Dawson and I both need to go to my parents. Dawson must go through much that will cause their hearts to ache. They will need comfort at times. Something to smile about when it seems there is nothing worth smiling over. Something to soften the bumps on a very bumpy road. Something to hold tight when they must let him return to home. Please let me go at the same time...WITH DAWSON. I could do all of those things."

Maybe the reply came something like, "Sweet Sweet Mallory. I know you could ease burdens that seem unbearable. However, we know that Dawson will arrive quite early. His body will be weak and suffer much pain. It will be difficult. If you want to go, you will also arrive early. Therefore the body you will inherit will not be whole. It will be hard, very hard."
And obviously, IF this were a conversation that took place, Mallory would accept. Happily. She would do it, because she loved us, because she loved our family, and because she loved Dawson.
Interesting isn't it. The thought of our children loving us so much they would sacrifice by submitting to seemingly impossible trials, if it meant through their faithfulness they could help us remember who we are and WHO we came from and give us a glimpse of what we are blessed enough to return to?!

It is interesting when you go through experiences when your children pass through trials that teach you WAY MORE than you could ever teach them. Humbling really.
So, the challenge....think about it. What if we treat our children like they are noble? What if we remind ourselves, when patience seems short, that THEY CHOSE US. Stop and think about who they are and what they were sent to do, and if what you are doing is helping them acheive it. Because one day, we WILL know who they are.
Surely they are our greatest blessings!