Two By Two

Two Birds, One Stone

2010-07-22T11:07:00.003-04:00

Since I am not one for jewelry, I decided to get something that I thought Randi might like more than a little bling for the "push present" (which in this case is more like a slice and dice present). I got her a weekend away from all children in Chicago to see Dave Matthews Band at Wrigley Field.

Not to sound too selfish, but I love this town and I love Wrigley. There is also another bonus for the concert being on September 18th. We will be celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary (9/20) in the Windy City. It should be fun.

Our First Week with Ridley

2010-07-18T14:56:00.008-04:00

We made it!! It was a jam packed week. I am glad I was able to take the whole week off of work.

As you know, Ridley came into the world on Friday, July 9th. Randi was in the hospital until Sunday evening. She was doing well with recovery and decided to go home a day early. She is having some residual swelling that has kept the Carpel Tunnel biting. On Monday and Tuesday, we made trips to the lactation consultants at the hospital. Nursing is one thing Randi really wanted to make an effort to do that we were not able to be as successful as we had wanted with Parks and Wyatt. It has taking some time and patience, but I think that Ridley is getting the hang of it quite well. It is amazing that, as a species, we have breastfed successfully without pumps, and ointments, gel packs, and consultants for eons.

On Wednesday, we had a little scare. With the breastfeeding, there comes some irritation, and with the irritation there came a little blood. Apparently, Ridley ingested some and it did not settle well on his stomach. He spit up once with out fanfare, much like Parks used to, but the second time his spit up, it was a blood and milk mixture with several blood clots. We were a little panicked but got on the phone with the pediatrician and the lactation consultant to find out that it is not uncommon. That same evening, Randi was still pretty swollen and now had a severe headache. She checked her blood pressure on my mom's portable unit, and it was extremely elevated. After a very long evening and a trip to the emergency room, everything turned out to be normal.

We made a trip to the OB on Thursday to follow up on the elevated blood pressure. Again, everything came back normal. We were very relieved that there were not a serious complications. To add insult to injury, myself, Randi's mom and my mom all ended up on antibiotics this week for some kind of strep-like infection. Needless to say, it has been anything but a boring first week at home.

On Friday, we took Ridley to the pediatrician for his one week well check and to weigh him. At the hospital he went from 8 lbs, 14 ounces to 8 lbs, 4 ounces. One week after his birth, he weighed in at 9 lbs, 2 ounces.

He has been feeding like a champ.

Parks can not give enough of him. He has given him his toys, and wants to touch and kiss on him constantly. It is so sweet.

All in all, this delivery and stay at the hospital went much smoother than last time. It certainly didn't hurt that we had a very healthy baby to take home, as well.

I guess we are now, "Two by Two, Plus One"

Pictures of Ridley

2010-07-09T18:34:00.006-04:00

Ridley and daddy after he got weighed and measured.

Everything went great with his evaluation, scoring a 9 on his Apgar.

Ridley's first photo with mommy and daddy.

Big Tom with Parks and Ridley. Parks wanted to touch him constantly. He was soooo sweet.

Daddy and Ridley with Parks and Wyatt wearing their new presents from Ridley...Woody and Buzz hooded-towels.

Ridley is Here!!

2010-07-09T13:40:00.002-04:00

Ridley was born this morning at 7:5o, kicking and screaming. He came out at a whopping 8 lbs, 14.8 ounces and 21 inches long. That makes him a full 1 1/2 lbs more than Parks and Wyatt's birth weight combined. Pictures are coming!!

The Date Is Set

2010-07-07T21:21:00.004-04:00

We are heading in tomorrow morning the C-section. The surgery is scheduled for 730AM. Our parents have been informed, their bags are being packed, and hitting the road. Dinners are being planned and set up for delivery. We have received a lot of support as we moved through this pregnancy.

Randi finished her pre-op blood work a little while ago. Everything went well at her last exam. We are excited about tomorrow. I knew that we are both ready to meet Ridley. Parks and Wyatt appear to be excited too, although we are reminding them that babies do cry a lot and need a lot of help.

Pray for us tomorrow. We are hoping that everything go smoothly with the surgery and that the recovery is speedy.

Brotherly Love

2010-07-06T11:48:00.004-04:00

He's Almost Here

2010-07-05T22:59:00.003-04:00

The time is drawing near for Ridley to join our family. Although Randi is not due until Tuesday, July 13th, we were actually scheduled a C-section tomorrow, Tuesday, July 6th. We have been holding out hope that Randi will go into labor and that Randi would be spared a C-section, but the last couple visits to the doctor have not been promising.

We are now looking at rescheduling for the end of this week for Ridley's birth. Pray for us. We are in a mad dash to get the house ready to have another newborn in the house again.

Potty Animals

2010-06-28T10:56:00.004-04:00

We are now in the thick of it. It is round number two for potty training for Parks and Wyatt. We have been gearing up for this for some time now and really wanted both of them to be diaper-free when Ridley gets here. Parks always seemed to be a little more ready for this than Wyatt, but we hoped that Parks would drag Wyatt along with him as his motivator. Even now, we have little battle of competition between the two (for toys, where to sit at the table, who closes the front door, which color sippy cup to use, etc., etc., etc.).

Our first attempt was met with little success. We couldn't get through the constant accidents they both were having, although Parks always wanted to finish up in the potty. Wyatt was not so eager. We were on ever-vigilant puddle patrols. We tried all the videos for a happy, fun, fantastic potty time. There were some interesting things on those videos. We tried some interactive books about the topic. Nothing really seemed to click with them.

Another month passed, and Parks was really starting to get uncomfortable with diapers. He began very aware of their presence, especially when full. On the other hand, Wyatt was not so much. He could sit for hours in a poopy diaper and not care. We tried M&M's and small Tootsie Roll pops as motivators (M&Ms for number 1 an Tootsie Roll pops for number 2). Parks really started to get it. Wyatt was still showing little interest, but we made every effort to include him in the process. Parks was doing well with the pee-pees in the potty but was still having problems (or apprehensions) with number 2. He is already prone to getting backed-up and holding out to go on the potty complicated the matter. We finally tried incorporating a chart that had been helpful for a friend of ours where for every fifth successful "big job" was rewarded with a special toy just for him. Not to be left out, we also made a chart for Wyatt where he could get a special toy on every fifth pee-pee in the potty.

This last weekend we took Parks to the "Blue Store" (Wal-mart) to pick out his third special toy. Wyatt still has an empty chart, and when we ask him if he would like to try to pee-pee on the potty, his answer is a matter-of-fact "no." We still keep asking.

What is in a Name?

2010-06-15T11:45:00.002-04:00

We are now 3 weeks away from the scheduled C-section and have finally agreed upon a name for the next addition to our family. So, after much hair-pulling and gnashing of teeth, we can finally present it to you all. The next member of our growing basketball team is:

Ridley Thomas

It will not be long now before he gets to meet his two big brothers!!

Birthday Presents

2010-05-28T09:27:00.006-04:00

Guess what the boys favorite present was from their birthday: Woody and Buzz Lightyear!!

They have asked to wear these pajamas every night this week and multiple times to wear them to school.

P.S. - These are our silly faces.

Happy 3rd Birthday - Parks and Wyatt

2010-05-27T12:58:00.009-04:00

Addition and Subtraction

2010-02-05T13:34:00.003-05:00

As you can imagine, a lot has gone on over the last 6 months since we last blogged. There are too many to name here, but there are a couple changes that have occurred in which I would be remissed not to bring to light here today.

Subtraction:

A few weeks ago, Randi and I decided to put Dante to sleep. He had been diagnosed with cancer several months ago. Over the couple weeks we had him, he really began to go downhill fast. He was having trouble getting around but always seemed in good spirits. That made the decision even worse. We finally made the decision because we did not want to get into a situation where it would be an emergency. It would have been traumatic for the boys and Randi would have had to performed a feat of Herculean proportion to get him in the car to rush him to the vet. Randi has been taking it hard. Randi got him when she was single, just before we started dating. He has been with her/us through our marriage and the birth of Parks and Wyatt. From here on out, any other dog we have will more than likely be considered our kids dog rather than our own. He will be missed....Ole' Darth Dante (bba).

Addition:

We also found out late last year that Randi is pregnant again. It was a complete surprise to the both of us. We were in the beginning stages of exploring the option of adoption when we got the news. Everything is looking very well so far and the baby will be born the middle of July. And, yes, there is only ONE baby in there. Randi has had a lot of nausea with this pregnancy and was determined that this was an indication that we were having a girl. So much for woman's intuition. We got our anatomy scan ultrasound yesterday and learned that Parks and Wyatt are going to have a baby brother.

As my coworker said yesterday, Randi doesn't have a chance with the toilet seats now.

Duke

2009-07-26T21:58:00.005-04:00

Some of you may have noticed when we updated our blog design that the name changed from "Two by Two by Two" to just "Two by Two." This is because we made the decision a couple of months ago to find a better home for Duke, our youngest Pointer. Unfortunately, at this stage in our lives, with very small children, we are not able to give him the attention he deserves. It was very hard to make this decision, but we felt it was the best thing for Duke. The couple was in the process of relocating to Atlanta and had overseas travel planned the months of June and July, so we were not able to deliver Duke until today. I drove up by myself because Todd had some things he had to take care of here. I thought I had prepared myself for this day, but I find that I am very sad tonight. I know he will get the attention he needs with his new family and will be very well taken care of, but I can't help but feel we let him down. I know he's a dog, but I hate that I left him with complete strangers today.

Duke, we sure will miss you buddy!

Touch A Truck

2009-06-09T20:54:00.015-04:00

We recently took the boys to a local function called Touch A Truck in the downtown area. they close off a few streets and bring in all types of vehicles for children to crawl around in, honk the horns, and flip some switches. Our boys had a very good time. The event was for Toys For Tots, and people were asked to bring one new toy as a donation for entry.

Parks acting out how a "he-we-cota" flies.

Seriously, the only picture we have of Randi or me. It was hard to keep up with them at this event.

Wyatt driving a WWII Army Jeep. All he wanted to do was honk the horn.

Parks throwing the hammer down in his rig.

A preview of the school years, Wyatt up and down the aisles.

"Hey, hurry it up, bus driver!!"

Don't expect these letters getting delivered on time.

Every little boy's favorite: the fire truck

Wyatt holding down the front bumper.

I had to climb up into the fire truck to get Parks out. He did not want to leave.

The both got fireman hats, balloons, coloring books, bouncy balls, foam fire trucks and so much more. They slept like logs during nap time that day, and, of course most those items I mentioned were in their cribs too.

Question: What can brown do for you? Answer: Brown can sure fill up some diapers!!

Two Snips: Parks

2009-06-07T16:02:00.011-04:00

We figured that Parks would be much more of a challenge. He hates for us to brush his hair, which is why it usually looks like a bees nest. Parks has some huge curls, and we were fearful they would all be gone after his first haircut. He's looks like a little Q-tip.

Parks at play, pre-cut.

Parks really liked the taxi, but because he saw Wyatt getting his hair cut in the fire truck, that is where he had to have his cut as well.

Heading out to pick up a fare. Notice the tongue out denoting intense concentration.

So far, so good. Parks let her use the spray bottle on his hair and comb
it before the cutting began.

Still good, and as you can see, we have moved over to the fire truck.

All done, and Parks pulled it off. I think he actually might have enjoyed.

Now, what you can't see in this picture is the huge grin he had on his face when getting tickled by that brush. We were so proud of them...now let's see how they do at the dentist's office.

One Snip: Wyatt

2009-06-07T14:04:00.011-04:00

We took the boys this weekend to get their FIRST haircut!! At this rate, they will only have 10 haircuts before age 20. Wyatt, with his very straight hair, had developed quite a mullet. Business in the front and party in the back. If it was not for him needing a haircut, I think we would have waited even longer. Nonetheless, we went for the snip, snip.

We took them to a kid-themed shop called Pigtails & Crewcuts. It was actually better than I thought it was going to be. They had all kinds of toys for our 30 minute wait and barber chairs that looked like cars and airplanes. Both boys insisted on sitting in every one of the chairs.

Here is Wyatt, pre-cut, in the fire truck. It was his favorite, and he loved the bell on the front that spun around and "ding"-ed.

He was fascinated with turning the wheel and making "vroom-vrooom" sounds.

Wyatt was perfect getting his haircut. I guess he is used to getting poked and prodded, and now, nothing phases him.

There go those golden mullet locks. He looked so grown-up after his haircut. We could have put a suit on him, given him a briefcase, and sent him to work.

"Hey, what'cho doin' back there!?"

It was a good day. All smiles.

Blowing Out the Candles

2009-06-05T00:12:00.011-04:00

Happy Birthday, Parks and Wyatt

"Why are all these people singing at me?"

Everyone gets a chance to blow out their two candles.

Wyatt lunging for the cake!!

The ice cream cone cup cakes were very popular...

...and Wyatt wore his well.

I had to throw this picture in of one of our party guests. I'm not sure if her expression is from all the fun she was having or from the sugar.

The Birthday Setup: Circus Time

2009-06-03T22:10:00.010-04:00

FINALLY....we have some pictures of Parks and Wyatt's second birthday. We (Randi and I) decided to go with a circus theme. We joked around that it best resembles our life over the last couple of years. We think the boys had a really fun time. There were a lot of kids there to share in the fun. I wanted to show off some of the good finds that Randi found on Etsy.

Here was the spread we had for birthday cake and fun extras that we had out for everyone.

My sister made the cake for us and had it look like a big top. It was real yummy and took forever to get all that colored icing off the boys. Randi found the HAPPY BIRTHDAY letters on Etsy.

Randi and I put together the cotton candy packs for everyone and I used Photoshop and Word to create the ticket placards for multiple goodie stations.

Randi made these cupcakes in ice cream cones and then frosted them. The fun little signs came from the same Etsy store.

Here is a picture of the boys after devouring the birthday cake and ice cream cone cup cakes. They are wearing t-shirts that were silk screened from another friend of ours in Atlanta that also has an Etsy store. They also have a big numeral "2" on the back. We will start posting some more pictures of the whole day now that I have had time to edit them. The boys were wiped-out after a big day of fun and filling their bellies.

Wrasslin'

2009-05-29T23:09:00.004-04:00

This is what we do most evenings before bedtime. The boys love, love it. And I have a sneaking suspicion that Daddy loves it too.

The View From Up Here

2009-05-29T22:56:00.006-04:00

We are spending the weekend in Orange Beach, AL for Todd's first triathlon. The weather was absolutely beautiful today. We have been blessed with a condo that Todd's company owns. Check out the view from the 15th floor...

Road Trip

2009-05-28T11:32:00.002-04:00

We are heading out today on a trip down to the beach so I can compete in a triathlon on Saturday. It will be a nice little 4 hour trip in the car with boys. We are bringing my mom along to help out with the boys while I am doing what I need to on Friday and Saturday. Our kids just don't do very well in the car for long periods of time. They usually don't sleep much and that makes them extra cranky.

We broke down a bought a portable, dual screen DVD player for the car. We gave it a test run last weekend when we went to Atlanta to visit friends for the holiday weekend, and it worked wonders. I commented to Randi that I was no longer needed in the car to entertain the boys in my silly ways. We bought it just for long or extended trips and have taken it out for general rides around town. We did not want them asking for Mickey Mouse every time we loaded up. Hopefully, we will stick to our guns and not turn this into an everyday thing.

We should have a lot of fun. The weather actually looks pretty good, compared to recent days. We are working on getting the BIRTHDAY PARTY pictures sorted and edited to get them posted, and we will probably have a slue more after this beach weekend.

Another Big Scare

2009-05-26T11:08:00.004-04:00

We were at a park yesterday with the boys playing on the swing sets and playgrounds that they had. For the most part, there were no real issues of the day. Parks was a little upset that the playground equipment was damp from the previous night's rain, and Wyatt could sit in a swing for a 4 hours completely entertained. Both were enjoying the slide on one of the forts as we helped them up the ladder and down the slide.

We moved the party over to another fort that the boys had not been on yet that morning. This one did not have a slide, only monkey bars, a sliding pole, and knotted rope that provided fast exits to the mulch below. I helped Wyatt navigate up the wooden ladder and got him on the platform. Randi and I were both standing there talking as I started to help Parks up the ladder as well. Both of us lost track of Wyatt for about 20 seconds, then Randi saw what was about to happen. She yelled out to me and then to Wyatt, but it was too late.

Wyatt had walked to the other side of the fort and stepped right off the edge of the platform. Randi went running over to him, but by that time, he had hit the ground. It was about a 6 foot drop, and he landed square on his upper back. I still had Parks halfway up the ladder when it happened. I put him down and Wyatt did not make a sound for a few seconds. Then, he finally started to cry. We could not see anywhere that he was bleeding or anything else externally that might be immediately evident. He cried for a really long time. We kept checking him for bruising or bleeding, but it is hard for a 2 year old to tell you where exactly it hurts.

We monitored him the rest of the day and talked to our pediatrician about warning signs that we needed to be looking for, but from what we could tell he appears to have bounced back (no pun intended). Randi went and woke him up in the middle of the night once to make sure everything was okay. The only thing we can see are a couple of scratches running down his back. We debated hard about taking him to a Children's Hospital facility and may go ahead and get a CT Scan done for this and other non-related symptoms of his Duane's Syndrome that we are on the lookout for. Please pray for his healing. We keep thinking back to Natasha Richardson and what tragically happened to her.

The Hidden Poop

2009-05-21T20:37:00.006-04:00

I was told by my wife to rename this post, "The Missing Poop."

So, Parks was running around the other night refusing to wear clothes (yes, we are at that stage). Randi can smell that he has a poopy diaper, but he does not want her to change him. He is running away from her all over the house. We ask him if he has a poopy diaper, and, like most of his answers, he screams "no, Wyatt!!"

At this point, he is in our bedroom and comes out of there with his hand in the back of his diaper. We immediately cried for him to get his hand out of there. We ask him what he was doing, and he has no answer. We checked his pants and they felt a little lighter. We asked him again, specifically, "Parks, did you take poo-poo out of your diaper?"-----"Uh-huh." Next, we ask, "where did you put it?" No answer.

We start looking in our bedroom for any small, round, brown balls. We look all over and can't find anything. We ask Parks again, "did you take the poo-poo out of your diaper?" This time we are back to the old game of "no, Wyatt!!" We look all over for the missing poop but have yet to find anything. Who knows if he actually took anything out or if we'll find it in the middle of the night under our toes when one of us get up to get some water or use the bathroom?

Fun With Friends

2009-05-19T12:33:00.009-04:00

We took the boys to a birthday party on Saturday evening. It was for a friend of ours and his daughter who share a birthday. We had a fun time cooking out, playing in the back yard, in & out of the bounce house, and hanging out with friends. Since Parks and Wyatt's 2nd birthday was on Friday, they decided to include the boys in the celebration. I believe Parks had a total of four bounce house head-butts. He was repaid later on in the evening with an accidental wiffle ball bat to the arm by another kid. Wyatt ate everything in site, including pickles, cupcakes, hot dogs, baked beans, etc.. The boys were wiped out after all the hard playing and slept until after 8 a.m. the next morning. This party was a prelude to their birthday bash this coming weekend.

Wyatt and Parks blowing out the candles on their birthday cupcakes.

Parks in overdrive.

Wyatt, "where is your bottom lip?"

The only time he left the bounce house was to eat something.

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY

2009-05-15T21:31:00.002-04:00

PARKS AND WYATT ARE TWO YEARS OLD TODAY!!

FINALLY!!

2009-05-14T07:31:00.003-04:00

For all three of you that read this blog, thank you very much for your patience. We finally have our new design up and running and we are so happy with the way it turned out. Darcy over at Graphically Designing did a fantastic job. Todd and I still have some work to do on the sidebar, so new things will be popping up here and there.

Turkey Moustache

2009-05-13T20:23:00.005-04:00

Leap Frogs

2009-05-11T20:15:00.008-04:00

We recently took the boys to one of these converted warehouses that are wall-to-wall-to-ceiling inflatable giants. I don't remember the occasion, a weekend or rainy day, etc., but it was packed full of kids. For the first 15 minutes the boys stood around in awe at the vinyl monoliths and hoards of people. They first resigned themselves to playing it safe and confining themselves to the toy area with kitchens, workbenches, push toys, and the like. It was not until daddy got his shoes off and had to get into the inflatable with them that they perked up.

With their affinity for slides, we knew that they would like these if we could only get them to the top. These things were 20 feet in the air and we knew that they were not going to be able to climb the little inflatable rungs up by themselves. So, daddy had to carry one up at a time under his arm and navigate the slick stairs in only his socks. Good exercise carrying 30 pounds of furious thunder under one arm on unstable surfaces. Just as we thought, they took to it like fish to water after their first descent.

Wyatt, of course, wanted to go down on his belly. Parks wanted to go to higher and higher slides. Wyatt thought it would be fun to go down not on the slide area but on the ladder rungs, tumbling down like a tumble weed or coin being flipped. Parks would run at ramming speed into the corner pillars of the bounce house and then look like a blond projectile into the center of the ring. Here are some pictures we took of the day when we were not fearing for their lives or concussions.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T22:24:00.003-04:00

To the mother of our two wonderful boys, I could not have asked for anything more.

Kentucky Derby Days

2009-05-04T22:22:00.015-04:00

On Saturday afternoon, we took the boys to Storybook Farms where they provide a type of therapy to children with life-threatening illnesses, disabilities, and suffering from grief. They opened the farm up to the public during the Kentucky Derby to raise awareness to their cause and to have a little fun. They had train rides, music, a bounce house, games, and a demonstration by the Auburn Raptor Center. They brought out eagles, owls, hawks and buzzards for people to see and take pictures with these animals. We figured that we could get the boys out of the house again to round out a weekend of festivals.

Parks has found a new play place...the car. If we get him out of the car seat, we can't get him out of the car.

Mommy found out about the new alphabet Cheezits that have large letters on each cracker. Wyatt was in heaven!

The one problem with bounce houses.....

.....if you put them in, you had better be ready to go in and get them out.

They had fun with these plush "horseys."

As you can see, we stayed around this area for quite a while.

It took a little while for the boys to figure out how to ride their new toys.

Wyatt was mesmerized by the little details the candy-cane striping, the horse's mane, etc.

I think it is about time for someone's first haircut.

What finally ended the day for us at Storybook Farms was Round 10 of the ongoing saga over who can drive the wagon. They are not really getting the concept of "taking turns" yet.

Slides and Giggles

2009-05-01T22:56:00.007-04:00

We made a trip to a spring festival at one of the local elementary schools this afternoon. At almost 2 years old, Parks & Wyatt are still a little too young for cake walks, pies in the face, and football tosses. So after pulling the boys around in the wagon for 15 minutes, we headed over to the school's playground. They had an interesting type of slide that we had never seen....and we are quickly becoming slide connoisseurs.

It was long and not at a very steep pitch, but that was not the most interesting part. The full length of the slide was comprised of rolling bars, much like a conveyor system. We are the worst about forgetting our new Canon XSi, so we had to rely, once more, on my cell phone. I snapped a couple photos of the boys the first few go rounds, but soon after, I switched it to the video camera and got some great moments of them going down.

Both of them just HAD to go down the slide backwards.

We could NOT get Wyatt off the slide. We had to pull him off kicking and screaming
to take them home for bedtime.

Going Green

2009-04-29T14:04:00.002-04:00

I must admit I never gave much thought to this whole GREEN thing...or my carbon footprint, but that like everything else, has changed since I've become a mother. Really, it all began as I started to learn that the plastic baby bottles I was using were potentially leaking a chemical called BPA that could be toxic to my children. In the six months since I discovered this, it has become widespread media news. It is now much more commonly known that plastics with a 3, 6, or 7 in the little recycle triangle on the bottom may contain harmful chemicals. How disheartening to think that the people that manufacture baby bottles and serve our children baby food could have this chemical in their plastics.

As I read more, I become even more concerned and more convinced that we really don't know what our children are being exposed to on a daily basis... whether it be something in the food they eat, the toys they play with or the air they breathe. There is a thin line that you have to walk on these issues. Since switching the boys to milk, we have given them nothing but organic whole milk, but we are not so restrictive in our actions that we cannot order milk at a restaurant during lunch or dinner. We try to no let them play with our cell phones and turn off the wireless router in our house when we are not using the computer, but when we walk outside, there are three cell towers within a viewing radius. For us, "going green" has little to do with geopolitical issues. It is about arming ourselves with as much information as we can about the potential dangers in our surroundings and making rational decisions according to the best options we have available to us.

While We Were Out

2009-04-27T22:30:00.022-04:00

While daddy was out on the road for 26.2 miles this weekend in Nashville,
and mommy watch and cheered,
our boys had their Grammy and cousin, Abigail, come stay with them to watch some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
They played in the backyard together on their fort.
They laughed and snarled and skinned up their knees.
They became little graffiti artists.
They played with their toys inside, showing their new playmate how things are done around here.
Mimi also came to visit and they all made the trip to the annual City Fest. Parks rarely let Abigail out of his sight,
but when he did the air was filled to pleas for "Abi, Abi, Abi."
Wyatt got to show off his extensive knowledge of all things "Moon Book." We were glad to get back on Sunday & the boys were definitely glad to see us, but they will miss their Grammy and cousin, Abigail, until they come back for their birthday weekend.

P.S. - Check out Todd's new blog, Running Avenue, for further insight on running, triathlons, and a Good Reads section.

Horse's Behind

2009-04-27T22:28:00.005-04:00

Prologue: In telling this story, I want inform our readers that Randi and I face our ups-and-down in our relationship as the stresses of life pull on us just like many of you. All in all we still do our best to be Christ-like as we love and respect each other. This is a short vignette when we were a little testy with each other and ended up laughing the whole thing away.

One day Randi and I were in a ill mood towards each other over some dispute. Although Randi might have the reason for this instance on the tip of her tongue, I cannot for the life of me remember what it was. We were playing with the boys, and Parks started playing with his Little People farmyard animals. At this point in time, the boys were pointing at objects and wanting us to them the name of it. We were going along fine, naming the cow, the chicken, the goat, etc. He picked his horse and said "'dis." I replied back "horse," and he mimicked back with his hand the sign language for horse. Next, the horse's tail (see picture above) caught his attention and he again asked "'dis?" Mommy informed him "that's the horse's behind." Adding even more, she chimed in with all her wit that "daddy is a horse's behind."

Parks looked at the horse's backside and then looked at me with the most bewildering look we had ever seen. He then pointed back at the horse's behind and confirmed "da-da."

Easter Festivities

2009-04-12T16:39:00.002-04:00

The boys thoroughly enjoyed all of the Easter festivities. They had their first Easter egg hunt on Wednesday at Preschool, another Thursday at Mom's Morning Out, one on Saturday at a local park and the last one at the lake on Easter Sunday. Mimi, Opa, Papa and Grammy all came to town for the community festivities on Saturday and I believe the boys enjoyed all of the attention, not to mention all of the goodies from the grandparents. The best thing about it for this Momma is that they don't yet know what candy is so they would just open the eggs and dump the candy on the floor. Something tells me this will be the only year we have that problem.

Our church had their first meeting in our new facility. It was very exciting to finally be moved in and extra special that our first service was on Easter Sunday.

Here are a few pics from the weekend.

Death of a Purist

2009-03-15T23:07:00.012-04:00

Although I am no Luddite, I swore in my youth that I would not make the jump to digital photography and, God forbid, Photoshop. I was a purist, using only film in my hand-me-down Minolta Maxxum. I would make endless trips to the same destination at different times of the day just to capture suitable light. Now with two boys, there is a certain ease to just getting a good shot and worrying about getting around to making corrections on the desktop later. Also, if you know me, you know that I am a horrible portrait photographer. I would much rather take pictures of undisturbed wilderness.

Here are some of my recent attempts at breaking in my new Canon XSi and touching my photos up with Adobe Photoshop Elements 6, great for a beginner like me in a digital world.

Little People

2009-02-21T15:20:00.009-05:00

One of Parks and Wyatt's favorite new toys a the Playtown Little People. As you can see in the pictures below we have amassed quite a lot of the town folk. The individual people come with little 3"x3" books that the boys also love and are great for stuffing into the diaper bag. While the boys were playing with their Little People the other day, I was playing with my new Canon XSi. "Lovin' it."

This how I found Duke asleep on the floor.

The boys are really getting good at calling each one by their names. They know the mommy and daddy ones. They know the doctor, firemen, and policeman. They call the dog, "dud" and cat, "mou" - like meow.

A group shot.

Parks plucking the dada up in his grasp.

We call him Goober, the mechanic.

Growing Up

2009-02-16T14:03:00.010-05:00

Here are a few random pictures of the boys. I was going back through photos of them when they first got home from the hospital. Even now, from time to time, they seem like the little babies that were so dependent on us for everything, but with their second birthday approaching in a couple months, it seems hard not to recognize that they are growing up into little boys.

Parks seems to be much more of our people pleaser. He is very helpful when asked to do something.

Wyatt would much rather do his own thing.

Parks is seems always ready to horse-play with me.

Wyatt needs a little more prodding to horse-play. He is much more into reading his books and babbling about what he sees when he reads and the toys he plays with.

Parks is much more demanding of our time. He constantly wants to be held and has picked up a habit of whining about nothing at all for extended periods of time.

All in all, they are growing up so fast together, yet their personalities become more distinct each day. They are really starting to get to the point where they see each other as companions, enjoying playing together and copying each other. It really is such a joy to be able to witness it.

The Pink Pig

2009-02-10T10:32:00.010-05:00

On the way home from my (Todd's) parents house after Christmas, we met some friends of our at Lenox Mall in Atlanta to ride the Pink Pig with all the kiddies. It was only when Julie started asking where the pictures were from that day that I remember we had them and had not posted them. So, Merry Christmas all over again. If any of you guys are in and around Atlanta, it was a lot of fun for the little guys. I would not suggest it for older kids or dads who are 6'2" tall. I had to unfold myself to get out of the ride.

If you do not know, the Pink Pig started in 1953 with Priscilla the Pink Pig debuted as a monorail ride at Rich's department store in downtown Atlanta. In the 1950s, children waited to ride on the Pink Pig — a string of metal monorail cars that carried them high above the old Rich's store, where they could gaze down at the wonderland of toys below.Mommy letting Parks try on some pig ears.

All of us together as we rode around the track. The original Pink Pig Monorail car on display.I wish I could say that Parks is smiling but he was ready to get out.Mommy and Parks - midride.

Do You Understand the Words That Are Coming Out of My Mouth?

2009-02-05T11:16:00.003-05:00

Now that Parks and Wyatt have started talking a lot more, they now have quite the vocabulary. They are no "Chatty Kathy's" by any means, but the sign language is getting push aside for more stimulating, adult conversation. Here is a partial list of words they posses and my best attempt to "phone-et-tickle-ly" spell them.

Wyatt:
Turtle - "tour-tel" - one of the sweetest little sounds you'll ever hear
Star - "sta"
Moon - "moo"
Cow - "moo"
Dog - "doug"
Brother - "beau-beau" - he's Southern
Catus - "kak-ta"
Brick - "bic"
Mine - "my"
Poop - "poo"
Winnie the Pooh - "boo"
Mickey Mouse - "mi-mow"
Minnie Mouse - "me-mow"

Parks -
Football - "but-bowl"
Baseball - "but-bowl"
Basketball - "but-bowl"
Donald Duck - "da-duc"
Momma - "da-da"
Dadda - "ma-ma"
No - "no, no, no" - with a finger wave
Grandpa - "poppa"
Emu - "moo-moo"

With the Momma and Dadda for Parks, he knows the right way to say it, but it appears he already knows how to pull our leg and make a joke.

Little Sophia

2009-02-03T20:54:00.002-05:00

If you all wouldn't mind adding one more to your prayer list, please keep the family of precious Sophia in your prayers. She lost her battle with brain cancer today. She was only 4 years old and had been fighting cancer for almost two years. While I know her family is going to miss her dearly, I know they are resting in the fact that she has finally been healed by our Heavenly Father.

Camera Phone

2009-01-30T09:54:00.010-05:00

My company was nice enough to pony up and get
me a new Blackberry. I do love the versatility of the technology, but sometimes, I can't help but cringe when I hear the "ping" of new emails and always being "connected."

On the fun side, I have been taking some pictures and videos of the boys. Here are a few of the ones I downloaded. The videos of them playing (in the tub and on the chair) are the most fun.

Happy Birthday To Me!

2009-01-26T21:57:00.006-05:00

It is now almost bedtime on my 35th birthday. Today was rather uneventful, but we have been celebrating for three days. On Friday, Mimi came to keep the boys so my sweet husband and I could have a night away. We had a very nice dinner and then spent the night in a cabin at a nearby park. Todd built a huge campfire and we actually had almost four hours of uninterrupted adult conversation. I can't remember the last time that happened. What a wonderful birthday gift! We slept in a little on Saturday morning and had a nice country breakfast before returning home to relieve my mom.

Saturday was pretty laid back. My in laws were supposed to visit but my poor mother in law has been diagnosed with pneumonia. We are praying for a speedy recovery.

Then Sunday evening I was able to spend the evening in praise and worship at this awesome event with this amazing woman speaking between songs. I got to fellowship with two of my best friends in the world, JMom and Suzy. These friendships go back over 20 years now. What a blessing to spend time with good friends worshiping the Lord!!

Tonight we wrapped up with a yummy sushi dinner...me, Todd and two high chairs at the sushi bar. Back to the real world tomorrow. No more being lazy in the name of "It's my birthday."

History In The Making

2009-01-20T10:46:00.003-05:00

As I was reflecting on this day in history, the inauguration of Barack Obama, I felt led to document it somehow on this blog. I know I will tell my children of this someday, how when they were only one, the first African-American president was elected. And although I know there will be policy decisions that go against what I believe, I am still proud of this country and proud to be living in a country where things like this are possible. My good friend JMom composed a beautiful letter to the president that is much more eloquent than anything I could have written. Below is a copy of her letter.

Dear President Obama,

Today is truly a landmark day. It feels trite to even write about it because the press coverage has inundated us with reminders of what a shift this marks in the turbulent race relations this country has experienced throughout our history. I am proud of the advances we have made.

I did not vote for you, but I believe in a Sovereign Lord who appoints leaders. I will respect your position and your office. I do not hold ill will towards you, but instead I pray for you.

I pray that you will submit to the authority of The One who put you in office in the first place. There will be constant public opinion polls, water cooler chatter and talking heads espousing their views of your performance. I pray that the approval you seek will be from God alone.

I pray that you will remember the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr and Abraham Lincoln, the two leaders you seem to seek to emulate the most. I pray that you will embrace their quest for equal rights. I pray that you will come to understand this as a call to protect ALL LIVES equally--including the unborn lives in this country.

I pray that you will be protected from the lies and the enemy, the intoxicating ill-effects of power and the human tendency to think of ourselves more highly than we ought.

I pray that the astounding swell of public support that you have (both from the media and many citizens of our world) will not go to your head but will, instead, go to your heart. I pray that you have appropriate confidence, but that you do not believe the hype about yourself. May you be a leader people follow not because they have to, but because they want to.

May your wisdom and strength come from the Lord. May your heart be tender towards the love and will of our Father.

I pray for your marriage and your family--that despite the intense glare of the media spotlight you will be able to have a home that is a haven of love, peace and rest.

May you be a leader who models integrity--who stands for things that count.

In short, I pray you don't blow it. But when you do make the inevitable mistakes, I pray you will be able to own up to them.

And finally, I pray that you will find your identity...not as a black man, a mixed race man, but as an American...and more importantly, as a dearly loved child of God placed in this position at this time for specific purposes. May you find your purpose and embrace it.

Happy 20 Months!

2009-01-15T22:00:00.004-05:00

The boys came into this world 20 months ago today. I really cannot believe it's been almost two years since they were born. We are experiencing such a fun time with them right now, that I thought I better sit down for a few minutes and document it.

Parks is a little live wire. He has truly turned into a fun little spunky boy in the last couple of months. He wants to be the center of attention most all of the time. He's beginning to want to run everywhere instead of walk. He wants to go outside every opportunity he gets and it doesn't bother him at all if it's 30 degrees. He is saying more and more words everyday, including moon ("moo"), ball ("ba), diaper ("diader"), Pooh ("boo"), Dante ("nana") and bro bro ("bo bo"), his name for his brother. He's not talking very much yet, we usually have to ask him to say these words, but we're getting there.

Wyatt is a sweetheart. He is for the most part, a very easy child. He loves to laugh and has the best little belly laugh I've ever heard. He loves to push things around. Pretty much anything he can whether it be their wagon or our office chair. He too wants to be outside all of the time and loves the moon and the stars. He is saying many of the same words as Parks, but uses them very sparingly.

They both love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Baby Signing Times and have mastered many different signs. We're currently working on the signs "to share" and "I'm sorry" as all we do these days is steal each others toys. Our favorite book is "The Moon Shines Down" by the same author as "Goodnight Moon." We love splashing in the bathtub and playing rough with Daddy, especially on the sofa.

This really has been such an enjoyable time for us. I only wish I could spend more time with them. I know that time will pass very quickly and we'll soon be moving on to the "terrible two's." I am trying my hardest to enjoy every moment I do have with them.

December Photo Sampler

2008-12-31T11:49:00.010-05:00

Here are a few photos I got off the camera of the boys having fun.

Parks and Wyatt playing in Duke's Christmas present, a new cage to stop him from eating household items.

Wyatt getting his revenge on Parks by locking him in the cage, although I think Parks was having more fun with this than Wyatt.

My new recruits.

We were on our way to great-grandmother's house on Christmas Eve, but daddy had to stop off at work for a little bit.

The boys at Oma's house wanting to get outside to play with the big kids.

Everyone sharing and getting along while they play with one of their second
cousins and his trucks.

Father and Son

2008-12-30T12:44:00.006-05:00

In a retrospect of the recent Christmas season, I caught myself in a special moment shared with one of my sons.

We were playing with one of their new Christmas toys. I remember the moment for a couple of reasons. The first was that we were sitting on the floor together with him sitting directly in front of me with his back to me and my legs wrapped around him and his play area in a way that almost enveloped his whole world. The second detail was the particular toy that my son was playing with. He had recently received a barnyard playset, complete with animals, barn, and crops.

He was sitting their almost unaware of me while he tended to the duties of his work on the farm. He was busy with his own world and would only turn to me for affirmation of what he was doing or for me to fix something he became frustrated with. Other than that, me tying his shoe, brushing his hair or giving him a kiss on top of the head went unnoticed. And then, this thought came to me...

Am I really much different in my daily life in my relationship with God? I go about, in all seriousness, acting out the duties of my occupation while God surrounds my life and showers me with His love and care. How often do I sit with my back to Him and only turn to face Him when I am frustrated or if I seek approval for my actions? As these thoughts faded from frontal lobe, I gave him another hug that he shrugged off and decided...let's go get some CHEESY PUFFS.

The aforementioned toy

Logan

2008-12-18T22:23:00.005-05:00

I saw this video (or heard this audio) on one of my favorite blogs today. I can only aspire to be as wonderfully domestic as this lovely woman is, but that's not the point of my post. That's a whole 'nother topic for a different day.

I know I have heard this before, but it really hit me today. I guess because my boys are getting bigger and really starting to understand what we're saying and what's going on around them. I feel the gravity and responsibility of being their mama more each day. Am I really up for the monumental task of parenting these two little ones? Making sure they are fed and that they get enough sleep is a piece of cake compared to what I'll soon be up against. Whew!! I've been overwhelmed with this the past few months...and in prayer about it quite often. As I listened to this today, I thought first of all that this little boy, or shall I say young man, really has a lot more figured out than most grown adults. My prayer is that my precious boys would someday understand their salvation and the gift our Lord gave us the way Logan does.

The Everybody Project

2008-12-17T09:58:00.005-05:00

Since moving in March, our family has been involved in the creation of a new church that is a Strategic Partnership with Andy Stanley’s Northpoint Ministries. In that time, we have really seen the development of welcoming environments and sound Scriptural teachings.

During 2008 the church has been meeting in temporary locations, never being able to call any one of them home. At the beginning of the New Year, our church plans to move into a more permanent facility. Last week , the leaders signed a long-term lease on a new facility that will allow the church to create these safe enviroments in a permanent location. We are hoping to be moved into the new venue by the end of January and are making a push to raise the funds for the cost of construction to renovate the facility to fit the church’s needs.

The Everybody Project was created to invite individuals to assist us in the goal of furthering the work of our church home. Ultimately, Auburn church’s mission, like NPM’s, is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. If you feel led to join in this mission and help us meet our goal, please read the excerpt below from Auburn Church’s blog, www.auburnchurch.blogspot.com, on ways to give.

The Everybody Project is an opportunity for attenders/members, who make up the body of Christ at Auburn Church, to help raise support to create safe, irresistible environments in our new facility located at 1667 Shug Jordan Parkway. The cost associated with creating these environments is right at $100,000. So here's the plan to reach our goal.

All of us working together to ask 1,000 people to give $100 each over the next 10 days for one life-changing message that's for everybody! This is a great chance for you to share your story of how God has changed your life through His church. Please check back often as we daily update how close we are to reaching our goal at auburnchurchonline.org. To learn more about how to make your $100 donation, click here! The Everybody Project begins Monday, December 15th and ends on Christmas Day.

Thank you for doing your part! Thank you for creating a church that unchurched people want to attend. Thank you for continuing to share the life-changing message of a right standing with God that comes from God through faith in Jesus Christ that is for everybody!

Christmas Photos

2008-12-16T11:38:00.015-05:00

Below are some picture we had taken by a friend of ours in search of quality pictures for our Christmas cards. You can check out her work at Terrible Speller. We had a great time that day and a lot of fun doing it.

Wyatt, our newest walker. Like most things that he does, it takes him a little longer to do something initially, but his learning curve goes straight up from there.

Wyatt would eventually warm-up and cut loose, as you will see, but Parks would not smile for any of the photos.

"Wha'cho talkin' about Willis?"

This is supposed to be a picture of them giving kisses, not a pre-fight standoff before a heavyweight bout. Personally, I think it resembles the latter more.

All together now.

We both love this one.

I told you Wyatt would warm-up. He is really enjoying his new sense of freedom with walking. He rarely is caught crawling anymore.

Mommy and our little man.

"For real, what's up with all the picture taking?"

The Lighting of the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

2008-12-11T23:36:00.007-05:00

This year we decided to scale back on the Christmas tree a little and go with a 4.5 ft Target special for a few reasons. One, we are in a transitional dwelling that would not accommodate a normal size tree without losing a couple of main pieces of furniture. Two, Duke has been on a recent destruction rampage when we leave the house for any length of time. A few casualties have been the remote control, throw pillows, and an arm cushion to one of the boys' chairs. Don't worry, we're working to get this issue resolved. Three, we were not sure how the boys could handle glass heirloom ornaments within such ease of reach and we wanted something they could enjoy without breaking.

This is a video of the first time we plugged in our Charlie Brown tree for the boys. As you can see, they were a little excited about this strange occurrence. Why were mommy and daddy bringing a tree in the house? Why were pretty, colorful lights covering this tree? Why were mommy and daddy putting it within reach? Fortunately, the novelty beyond this first encounter has faded. Now, there's no screaming or prodding. They simply point and pause upon passing by. We have enjoyed the beginnings of what we hope to be lifelong Christmas traditions in our family, but it will probably be another year or so until we can explain the "reason for the season."

Also, I am very proud. They are both saying "da-da," clear as a bell. You will hear a little of it on the video. By the way, one of my favorite parts of the whole thing is when they both decide to take a drink break in the middle of their Christmas cheer.

Walking Wyatt

2008-12-09T22:45:00.006-05:00

This is a video of what has become part of our evening bed time ritual. It involves, as you can see, daddy crawling around to the various nooks and crannies of the boys' room popping out and scaring Parks and Wyatt. The boys' have also discovered that Daddy is a good ride-on toy as well. We also take time to read a book or two. Their favorite right now is The Moon Shines Down, by Margaret Wise Brown the author of Goodnight Moon. As if you couldn't tell by the fact that Parks doesn't put it down the entire video.

Besides showing you all how goofy I can be, it also shows Wyatt walking. He was released from physical therapy today. Apparently, in this instance, he's like our second child. We have all kinds of video of when Parks learned to walk, but somehow failed miserably in capturing Wyatt's first steps. We wanted to post this before it got too late to be relevant. It has really opened up a new world for him. He is interacting with the other kids at preschool more, largely because he can keep up better. He and Parks are starting to play, argue, and interact more at home as well. Enjoy. I am working on editing a couple other videos that we hope to get up soon.

SEWING 101

2008-12-03T21:05:00.006-05:00

I decided some time ago that I wanted to try my hand at sewing. (This is Randi, by the way. I have a pretty domestic husband, but the most sewing I'm going to get out of him is a button.) So, I took a beginning sewing class back in September and was able to complete a corduroy longall for Parks. The people at the local sewing center were kind enough to allow me to use their embroidery machine to apply a cute applique on the outfit as well. Between not having my own machine and several deadlines at work, I had been unable to sew Wyatt's matching outfit until now. There really wasn't a real sense of accomplishment after finishing Parks' outfit because I knew I still had another whole outfit to sew. I ended up working on it over our very boring Thanksgiving holiday and they donned their new outfits for preschool this morning. I was so proud. Too bad Parks' was sewn so long ago he's almost outgrown it. Wyatt's fits perfectly. I now have several projects lined up, most of which I need to finish in the next couple of weeks. I think I might have the bug.

Below is my attempt at capturing photos of them before school this morning. Can you tell the container drawer is our favorite place to play?

Quote of the Day

2008-11-30T22:05:00.002-05:00

"Parks, you can read the book, but you cannot ride your brother!"

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2008-11-27T21:45:00.003-05:00

On this Thanksgiving Day, we are thankful for so much. Wyatt has woken the last two mornings with fever approaching 104 degrees. But by bedtime tonight we were beginning to see signs of the old Wyatt. He was playing with Daddy and brother just like every other night at bedtime. With Tuesday's seizure and the subsequent days of high fever, I must admit I have been a little on edge. We are so thankful he seems to be on the mend.

We barely spent time with my family today and didn't get to spend any time with Todd's family. We wrapped up our Thanksgiving with dinner at the local Waffle House. As much as we love living in a small town, there was absolutely no other restaurant open. And while we were less than thrilled with how our Thanksgiving turned out, I reminded Todd that we would never forget the Thanksgiving we spent at WH...as a family, just the four of us.

A Big Scare

2008-11-25T22:16:00.003-05:00

The boys were at a Mom's Morning Out program at church this morning when Randi received a call that Wyatt was having a seizure. Luckily, she was in route to pick them up and was only a few minutes away. Apparently, he was beginning to act very tired odd and was starting to spike a fever. They put him in the swing to let him rest. Sometime in the next few minutes he closed his eyes and started having convulsions. His teacher immediately called 911 and got paramedics on site. Randi called me before she had arrived and told me I needed to get back as soon as possible since I was over an hour away from home.

When Randi arrived, Wyatt was already starting to come out of the seizure, they loaded him and Randi in the ambulance to the emergency room. He was lethargic and unresponsive for a while after the convulsions ceased. With Wyatt's neurological history brought on by his prematurity and growth restriction, we had only the worst in mind.

I finally made it to the hospital to find him stripped down to a diaper asleep on Randi's chest in an emergency room bed. His fever was still at 103.2 F when he arrived at the hospital. He was completely out of it. The poor little man. It seems like these things more often than not happen to him. We found out that he had experienced a Febrile Seizure that is due to a rapid rise in temperature. Fortunately, there is only a slight risk that it will be something that develops into any type of epilepsy. To sum it up, it seems his body got too hot too fast and shut down. It is something that he will eventually grow out of, but there is a chance that it will happen again with future fevers. There will be precautions that we will have to take, but it is such an answer to prayer that it is not far, far worse. Our prayer now is that this was an isolated event and we won't have to deal with this in the future.

As you could imagine, he slept most of the rest of the day after we were discharged. He started to show signs of normalcy during our evening hours of play, though he was moving a lot slower and seemed a little off kilter. What a wild day that has left us all drained.....except for Parks, who seemed to absorb all the energy that we were dispelling. He was soooooo wound up, it brought a little comic relief.

We will try to keep everyone posted on Wyatt's status as we monitor him over the next few days. Thanks for everyone's prayers. They were definitely felt today.

Enjoy the Chaos

2008-11-14T10:41:00.005-05:00

As you can see, we are going through some changes here to make this a better blog. You never know what might pop up as I try to retool and expand into new avenues to have this be a more enjoyable site. I am working solo, so please be patient with us. I am not very good at Html.

THE DAY AFTER THE ELECTION

2008-11-05T09:56:00.003-05:00

A dose of perspective for us to read, the morning after the election.!!!

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, Jesus will still be King.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, our responsibilities as Christians will not have changed one iota.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the greatest agent for social change in America will still be winning the hearts and minds of men and women through the gospel, not legislation.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my primary citizenship will still be in this order – (1) the Kingdom of God , (2) America , not vice-versa.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the tomb will still be empty.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the cross, not the government, will still be our salvation.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, our children will still be more concerned with whether or not we spend time with them than with who is President.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my neighbor will still be my neighbor, and loving him/her will still be the second greatest commandment. (Do you remember the first?)

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the only way to see abortion ultimately overturned will still be winning men and women to a high view of life through the gospel of Christ.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my retirement will still not match my treasure in Heaven.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, “Jesus Is Lord” will still be the greatest truth in the Universe.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, we will still know that God is in control. No matter the outcome, I pray that you will remember who you are and who He is.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2008-10-31T22:49:00.014-05:00

We had a wonderful second Halloween. Mommy and Daddy escaped another year without trick-or-treating and instead spent time at a local festival and a pumpkin carving contest. One of the many joys of living in a small town are all of the many community activities.

In our cute Halloween PJs.

This one speaks for itself.

Wyatt loved his costume.

One of Wyatt modeling Parks' costume. We needed to see how it looked on a non-screaming child.

Our First Beach Trip

2008-10-28T07:17:00.006-05:00

We traveled to Orange Beach, Alabama for the weekend. It was the boys first real trip to the beach. We were a little concerned it would be too cold for them, but the weather was beautiful. Much the way it always works, Wyatt LOVED the gulf, the sand, the pool, all of it. Parks on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with any of it. We really couldn't have two more different boys. Unfortunately, we failed to bring the camera the one time we were on the beach with Wyatt in the water. Every time the waves hit his little legs he would laugh hysterically. Here are a few pics from our weekend.

Our attempt at trying to capture a Christmas shot on the beach. Wyatt decided to use Parks for balance and Parks did not like it.

Some sweet friend of ours boated over from Pensacola for breakfast. While the boys didn't actually ride in the boat, they loved exploring.

Note the look on Wyatt's face. He was so excited, he wanted to climb over the back of the boat and play with the engines. His lack of fear absolutely terrifies this mama, especially when our condo was on the 15th floor.

At the zoo in our new Radio Flyer wagon. We've had been debating whether to get one of these for months. So far I really like it.

The closest Parks would get to any body of water. Never mind the fact that he wouldn't even let his feet touch the sand.

Parks and the Dogs

2008-10-22T21:49:00.004-04:00

Today, I watched as Parks shooed, or growled, our dog Duke out of the kitchen as they vied for space around daddy as he was eating an apple that both of them wanted intently.

Later, Parks thought it would be funny to give Dante his Goldfish. Funny turned into gross as Dante slobbered all over his hand. Gross turned into fear as Dante got a little nibble of the fingers on the next go round.

New York, New York

2008-10-21T20:28:00.012-04:00

Just to get everybody caught up on some of the happenings in the family. Recently, Randi and I made a trip to New York. The trip started out as a simple selfish attempt by me to go to a baseball game at Yankees Stadium one last time before it was razed to the ground. It turned into a four day weekend that included not only a Yankee game but also a ferry ride to Governor's Island, a day trip to Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion, FDR's home, the Catskills, Spamalot, and a lot of walking around.

The Battery Park skyline from the ferry to Governor's Island. Randi and I were in NY during Christmas 2002, and it is still odd not to see those Twin Towers.

Waterfalls in NYC? Yes, it was a part of a new public art display, in which, they erected 5-6 of these waterfalls all around the south seaport. Give me waterfalls made of rock and earth any day.

On one of our outings to Grant's Tomb near Columbia, we walked by a church under renovation. These saints were getting a "face lift."

For some odd reason, this doorway struck me, and I had to get a picture of it. Some graffiti on the doorway of the "Roumanin-American Congregation of Talmud Torah." Of all the grand vistas in huge cities, it always seems to be the little slices of life that you remember the most.

Moss and spruce seeds sprouting roots on the wood shake roof shingle of a farm house in Hyde Park.

Home to one of this country's most influential families, the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park. It's not so grandiose when you use to take school field trips to the Biltmore Mansion in Asheville, NC.

The Hudson River at we ascend into the narrow roadways along the Catskill Mountains.

Some huge, beautiful doors with intricate ironwork and stone work on a cathedral that we pass along the way.

Welcome To Our New Blog

2008-10-14T22:57:00.006-04:00

It seems like it has been such a long time since we blogged that the title is true, but lest it is not. We are still here. Randi and I are just getting our heads above water coming out of the busy seasons for both of our jobs respectively.

There are so many stories, photos, and videos that we are wanting to share that it is hard to know where to begin. Both the boys are doing great, growing right before our eyes, and turning into such little men. Thanks to all those that have hung in there with us. We will do much better in the future and are looking to make some big changes to the overall style and scope of this blog in the near future.

Parks discovering that there is a smattering of fun with drawers besides pulling all the containers out and spreading them around the kitchen floor.

Parks and Wyatt getting ready for bed and not feeling very well with one of the many colds that have been spreading around recently.

Wyatt drinking his evening bottle (which we are weening). We think he believes he can absorb the nourishment of milk through his skin.

Sinatra -- Old Blue Eyes

Wyatt Update

2008-09-08T23:04:00.003-04:00

We haven't had one of these in a long while, which is a good thing. That means we haven't been to see any specialists. Overall, he's doing exceptionally well. Through the state's early intervention program we are working with a speech therapist, a physical therapist, and a developmental specialist. Thankfully, they all come to our home for his therapy sessions so we really haven't had to travel for medical care in months. He is not walking just yet, but is beginning to take a few independent steps. Now that we have one walker we are anxious to get the other one walking.

Wyatt and I traveled five hours round trip today to the big city to see the Pediatric Opthalmologist. You may (or may not) remember that Wyatt was diagnosed with Duane Syndrome, a congenital eye movement disorder, when he was 7 months old. Wyatt's left eye does not move laterally, or to the outside at all. This causes his right eye to cross when he looks to the left too quickly. He then compensates by turning his entire head so he can see clearly. There are varying degrees of severity and since it is a 'syndrome' there are other symptoms that can occur with it, some of which are very disturbing.

We received a very good report today. Wyatt has 20/20 vision, which I have no idea how they know that on a 15-month old, but I couldn't be happier. He will have enough visual challenges with Duane's. I would hate for him to have to contend with poor vision as well. His eye structure is perfect and the physician felt that his symptoms would not progress or worsen over time. Additionally, he is not a good surgical candidate which is a good thing because there is no real good surgery for Duane's. Basically, he got the best report he could have gotten for the condition he has. We are very excited!

Our First Real Pool Party

2008-08-26T22:46:00.010-04:00

As usual, we are a bit behind here at Two By Two By Two. A few weekends ago we met up with JMom for some fellowship and swimming with her parents, her sister's family and K, P, and R. It was the first time our boys had been swimming in a real pool.

Parks was in rare form and only wanted to float in a small inflatable boat. He was completely laid back and showed absolutely no interest in socializing whatsoever. As long and J's niece was pushing him around the pool he was content.

Wyatt, on the other hand, would have nothing to do with the boat and only wanted to splash. So far, he has no fear of the water.

The Backyard Pool Party

2008-08-19T21:34:00.009-04:00

We blew up the pool, set out the tent, filled the pool with hose water and released the hounds. The boys splashed about in their slightly chilled outdoor bath. Parks did not want to get out, but Wyatt did not last long in the pool. He was happy to go from lap to lap, play "patty-cake," and show a little game face.

A Few Things

2008-08-13T21:46:00.010-04:00

Wyatt was sleeping so peacefully during his nap, we just had to take this picture.

I feel I need to catch everybody up on the latest and greatest with the boys. Wyatt is starting to take some steps, although he is still very hesitant and easily frustrated. I'm sure like everything else he does, he will not be doing it one day and then have it mastered the next. He has caught up with Parks verbally. Although he still does not know as many signs as Parks, he has a handful of verbal words at his command. They have started at a preschool in the mornings to get them around a few more kids their age. Parks is walking, and almost running, 80% of the time. He has a little mouthful of teeth now, and it seems more come in each week. He knows close to 10 sings that he can replicate on command.

Here is a picture of Parks and Wyatt with a friend of ours' two children, Ansley and Harper. Parks and Wyatt are the ones in the middle of the picture. This picture was taken last July when the boys were only a few months old.

The next picture is of Parks, Wyatt and Harper, with our boys flanking the outsides. Sorry, Ansley. This was taken in July of this year. It was scary to look at the three of them in a row. Visions of life with triplets about knocked us over. As you can see, the boys have made huge strides over the last year. Harper has more of the build of Wyatt but length of Parks.

Post Script: I don't want to even get started about what the boys are wearing.

John Piper

2008-08-12T23:08:00.003-04:00

The excerpt below is from a sermon by John Piper entitled, "Marriage is meant for making children...disciples of Jesus." The audio and text can be found here. I have yet to listen to it, but was reading it today. It really speaks to my heart. I have felt

The most fundamental task of a mother and father is to show God to the children. Children know their parents before they know God. This is a huge responsibility and should cause every parent to be desperate for God-like transformation. The children will have years of exposure to what the universe is like before they know there is a universe. They will experience the kind of authority there is in the universe and the kind of justice there is in the universe and the kind of love there is in the universe before they meet the God of authority and justice and love who created and rules the universe. Children are absorbing from dad his strength and leadership and protection and justice and love; and they are absorbing from mother her care and nurture and warmth and intimacy and justice and love—and, of course, all these overlap.

And all this is happening before the child knows anything about God, but it is profoundly all about God. Will the child be able to recognize God for who he really is in his authority and love and justice because mom and dad have together shown the child what God is like. The chief task of parenting is to know God for who he is in many attributes and then to live in such a way with our children that we help them see and know God. And, of course, that will involve directing them always to the infallible portrait of God in the Bible.

Finally, God has ordained that both mother and father be involved in raising the children because they are husband and wife before they are mother and father. And what they are as husband and wife is where God wants children to be: As husband and wife, they are a drama of the covenant-keeping love between Christ and the church. That is where God wants children to be. His design is that children grow up watching Christ love the church and watching the church delight in following Christ. His design is that the beauty and strength and wisdom of this covenant relationship be absorbed by the children from the time they are born.

Updated Bath Time

2008-08-10T18:43:00.003-04:00

Here is a new video of the boys really starting to enjoy bath time. Wyatt loves to splash around and got Parks into the action. They really started cracking each other up.

The Game Face

2008-08-06T21:31:00.005-04:00

We are getting increasingly closer to the kickoff of college football. As one friend put it, only 24 wake-ups until game day. The teams might be hitting the practice fields in preparation of that day, but here at our house we have been getting ready too. Like most funny, spontaneous moments in life, we did not plan this "trick," and it didn't start off as a game face. Once it took, though, we just had to run with it. Our little practice session here starts off well, but then the boys realize that I am filming. It ends with Parks slapping on my back and Wyatt grabbing the camera out of my hand by the view screen.

HEALER

2008-08-06T09:38:00.003-04:00

This is an unbelievable song by Hillsong. I stumbled upon it on the internet and I couldn't help but share it. If you have time, please watch both the story and the song. The song was written by Mike, soon after being diagnosed with a very serious form of cancer.

Superkids

2008-07-24T23:23:00.006-04:00

We found these at the local Wal-mart on markdown....and I couldn't resist getting them. I thought it would be fun to take them out to dinner like this, but Randi didn't think it was such a good idea.

Redemption

2008-07-17T22:32:00.005-04:00

We seem to have been watching a lot of ESPN and baseball this week, mostly due to the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game. I've been repeatedly hearing the name Josh Hamilton over and over and eventually heard the story of how this young man was drafted to Minor League Baseball directly out of high school. He didn't stay there very long before he was moved up to the Major League. He was an exceptional young talent, but lost it all due to drug addiction. Below is the story of how he overcame addiction and is once again playing in Major League Baseball. Earlier this week he broke records in the Home Run Derby by hitting 28 home runs in the first round.

This is a beautiful story of redemption and hope!

'I'M PROOF THAT HOPE IS NEVER LOST'

By Josh Hamilton (as told to Tim Keown)
ESPN The Magazine

To let you know how far I've come, let me tell you where I've been. Not that long ago, there were nights I went to sleep in strange places praying I wouldn't wake up. After another night of bad decisions, I'd lie down with my heart speeding inside my chest like it was about to burst through the skin. My thinking was clouded, and my talent was one day closer to being totally wasted.

I prayed to be spared another day of guilt and depression and addiction. I couldn't continue living the life of a crack addict, and I couldn't stop, either. It was a horrible downward spiral that I had to pull out of, or die. I lay there -- in a hot and dirty trailer in the North Carolina countryside, in a stranger's house, in the cab of my pickup -- and prayed the Lord would take me away from the nightmare my life had become.

When I think of those terrible times, there's one memory that stands out. I was walking down the double-yellow of a two-lane country highway outside Raleigh when I woke up out of a trance.

I was so out of it I had lost consciousness, but my body had kept going, down the middle of the road, cars whizzing by on either side. I had run out of gas on my way to a drug dealer's house, and from there I left the truck and started walking.

I had taken Klonopin, a prescription antianxiety drug, along with whatever else I was using at the time, and the combination had put me over the edge. It's the perfect example of what I was: a dead man walking. And now, as I stand on the green grass of a major league outfield or walk to the batter's box with people cheering for me, I repeatedly ask myself one simple question: How did I get here from there?

I've been in the big leagues as a member of the Cincinnati Reds for half a season, but I still find myself taking off my cap between pitches and taking a good look around. The uniform, the ballparks, the fans -- it doesn't seem real. How am I here? It makes no sense to anybody, and I feel almost guilty when I have to tell people, over and over, that I can't answer that one simple question.

I go to sleep every night with a clear mind and a clear conscience. Every day, I walk into an immaculate clubhouse with 10 TVs and all the food I can eat, a far cry from the rat-infested hellholes of my user past. I walk to my locker and change into a perfectly clean and pressed uniform that someone else hung up for me. I grab a bat and a glove and walk onto a beautifully manicured field to play a game for a living.

How am I here? I can only shrug and say, "It's a God thing." It's the only possible explanation.

There's a reason my prayers weren't answered during those dark, messed-up nights I spent scared out of my mind. There's a reason I have this blessed and unexpected opportunity to play baseball and tell people my story.

My wife, Katie, told me this day would come. At my lowest point, about three years ago, when I was wasting away to skin and bones and listening to nobody, she told me I'd be back playing baseball someday. She had no reason to believe in me. During that time, I did nothing to build my body and everything to destroy it. I'd go five or six months without picking up a ball or swinging a bat. By then, I'd been in rehab five or six times -- on my way to eight -- and failed to get clean. I was a bad husband and a bad father, and I had no relationship with God. Baseball wasn't even on my mind.

And still Katie told me, "You're going to be back playing baseball, because there's a bigger plan for you." I couldn't even look her in the eye. I said something like, "Yeah, yeah, quit talking to me."

She looks pretty smart, doesn't she? I have a mission now. My mission is to be the ray of hope, the guy who stands out there on that beautiful field and owns up to his mistakes and lets people know it's never completely hopeless, no matter how bad it seems at the time. I have a platform and a message, and now I go to bed at night, sober and happy, praying I can be a good messenger.

Addiction is a humbling experience. Getting it under control is even more humbling. I got better for one reason: I surrendered. Instead of asking to be bailed out, instead of making deals with God by saying, "If you get me out of this mess, I'll stop doing what I'm doing," I asked for help. I wouldn't do that before. I'd been the Devil Rays' No. 1 pick in the 1999 draft, supposedly a five-tool prospect. I was a big, strong man, and I was supposed to be able to handle my problems myself. That didn't work out so well.

Every day I'm reminded that my story is bigger than me. It never fails. Every time I go to the ballpark, I talk to people who are either battling addictions themselves or trying to help someone else who is. Who talks to me? Just about everybody. I walked to the plate to lead off an inning in early May, minding my own business, when the catcher jogged out to the mound to talk to his pitcher. As I was digging in, the home plate umpire (I'm intentionally not naming him) took off his mask and walked around the plate to brush it off. He looked up at me and said, "Josh, I'm really pulling for you.

I've fought some battles myself, and I just want you to know I'm rooting for you." A father will tell me about his son while I'm signing autographs. A mother will wait outside the players' parking lot to tell me about her daughter. They know where I've been. They look to me because I'm proof that hope is never lost.

They remind me that this isn't really about baseball. It's amazing that God allowed me to keep my baseball talents after I sat out three years and played only 15 games last season in A-ball. On May 6, I hit two homers against the Rockies at home, and I felt like I did in high school. I felt like I could do anything on the field. I've been called the biggest surprise in baseball this year, and I can't argue with that. If you think about it, how many people have gone from being a crack addict to succeeding at anything, especially something as demanding as major league baseball? If I hadn't been picked up by the Reds after the Rule 5 draft, which opened up a major league roster spot for me, I'd probably still be in A-ball. Instead, I'm hanging around .270 with 13 homers through 60 games with Cincinnati; not bad for a 26-year-old major league rookie. But the way I look at it, I couldn't fail. I've been given this platform to talk about the hell I've been through, so it's almost like I need to do well, like I don't have a choice.

This may sound crazy, but I wouldn't change a thing about my path to the big leagues. I wouldn't even change the 26 tattoos that cover so much of my body, even though they're the most obvious signs of my life temporarily leaving the tracks. You're probably thinking, Bad decisions and addiction almost cost him his life, and he wouldn't change anything? But if I hadn't gone through all the hard times, this whole story would be just about baseball. If I'd made the big leagues at 21 and made my first All-Star team at 23 and done all the things expected of me, I would be a big-time baseball player, and that's it.

Baseball is third in my life right now, behind my relationship with God and my family. Without the first two, baseball isn't even in the picture. Believe me, I know.

***** I'LL NEVER forget Opening Day in Cincinnati. When they called my name during introductions and a sellout crowd stood and cheered, I looked into the stands and saw Katie and our two kids -- Sierra, who's nearly 2, and my 6-year-old stepdaughter, Julia -- and my parents and Katie's parents. I had to swallow hard to keep from breaking down right there. They were all crying, but I had to at least try to keep it together.

I pinch-hit in the eighth inning of that game against the Cubs, and Lou Piniella decided to make a pitching change before I got to the plate. The crowd stood and cheered me for what seemed like forever. It was the best sound I've ever heard. When I got into the box, Cubs catcher Michael Barrett looked up at me from his crouch and said, "You deserve it, Josh. Take it all in, brother. I'm happy for you." I lined out to left, but the following week I got my first start and my first hit -- a home run.

Whether I hit two bombs or strike out three times, like I did in a game against the Pirates, I never forget that I'm living with addiction. It's just part of my life. Johnny Narron, my former manager's brother, is a big part of my recovery. He's the Reds' video coordinator, and he once coached me in fall baseball when I was 15. He looks after me on the road. When they pass out meal money before a trip -- always in cash -- they give mine to Johnny, and he parcels it out to me when I need it.

I see no shame in that; it's just one of the realities of my situation. I don't need to be walking around with $400 in my pocket.

I know I'm different, and my teammates have been very accepting. Being a rookie in the big leagues, there are certain rituals involved, and one of them is carrying beer onto the plane. My teammates gave me that job on one of the first road trips, and I didn't do it. I didn't think it would be a good idea for me to be seen carrying beer onto a plane. They respected my decision.

I get a lot of abuse in visiting cities, but it only bothers me when people are vulgar around kids. The rest I can handle. Some of it is even funny. In St. Louis, I was standing in rightfield when a fan yelled, "My name is Josh Hamilton, and I'm a drug addict!" I turned around and looked at him with my palms raised to the sky. "Tell me something I don't know, dude," I said. The whole section started laughing and cheering, and the heckler turned to them and said, "Did you hear that? He's my new favorite player." They cheered me from that point on.

I live by a simple philosophy: Nobody can insult me as much as I've insulted myself. I've learned that I have to keep doing the right things and not worry about what people think. Fortunately, I have a strong support group with Katie, my family and Johnny. If I ever get in a bad situation, I know I would have to get out of it and give Johnny a call. The key is not getting myself into those situations, but we've talked about having a plan for removing myself just in case. It's all part of understanding the reality of the addiction.

In spring training, when I hit over .400 and made the team, there was a lot of interest in my story. I decided to be open about what happened to me; early on, I was doing long interviews before my first game in every city. It's been amazing how people have responded, and I think being honest helped. I can't avoid my past, so I don't try. It's not always easy, though. I got sick in late May and ended up on the disabled list after going to the hospital with a stomach problem, and I knew I'd have to answer questions about whether I was using again. I can't control what people think, but the years of drug abuse tore up my immune system pretty good. I get tested three times a week, and if it comes back positive, I know I'm done with baseball for life.

Aside from our struggles as a team, this season has been a dream for me. And that's fitting, because in a way I had to learn how to dream all over again. When I was using, I never dreamed. I'd sleep the dead, dreamless sleep of a stalled brain. When I stopped using, I found my dreams returned. They weren't always good dreams; most of the ones I remember were haunting and dark. They stayed with me long after I woke up.

Within my first week of sobriety in October 2005 -- after I showed up at my grandmother's house in Raleigh in the middle of the night, coming off a crack binge -- I had the most haunting dream. I was fighting the devil, an awful-looking thing. I had a stick or a bat or something, and every time I hit the devil, he'd fall and get back up. Over and over I hit him, until I was exhausted and he was still standing.

I woke up in a sweat, as if I'd been truly fighting, and the terror that gripped me makes that dream feel real to this day. I'd been alone for so long, alone with the fears and emotions I worked so hard to kill. I'm not embarrassed to admit that after I woke up that night, I walked down the hall to my grandmother's room and crawled under the covers with her. The devil stayed out of my dreams for seven months after that. I stayed clean and worked hard and tried to put my marriage and my life back together. I got word in June 2006 that I'd been reinstated by Major League Baseball, and a few weeks afterward, the devil reappeared.

It was the same dream, with an important difference. I would hit him and he would bounce back up, the ugliest and most hideous creature you could imagine. This devil seemed unbeatable; I couldn't knock him out. But just when I felt like giving up, I felt a presence by my side. I turned my head and saw Jesus, battling alongside me. We kept fighting, and I was filled with strength. The devil didn't stand a chance.

You can doubt me, but I swear to you I dreamed it. When I woke up, I felt at peace. I wasn't scared. To me, the lesson was obvious: Alone, I couldn't win this battle. With Jesus, I couldn't lose.

***** I GET cravings sometimes, and I see it as the devil trying to catch me in a weak moment. The best thing I can do is get the thought out of my mind as soon as I can, so it doesn't turn into an obsession. When it happens, I talk to him. I talk to the devil and say, "These are just thoughts, and I'm not going to act on them." When I talk like that, when I tell him he's not going to get the best of me, I find the thought goes away sooner.

Believe it or not, talking to the devil is no harder to explain than many other experiences I've had since that day last December when my life changed. I was working for my brother's tree service in Raleigh, sending limbs through a chipper, when I found out I'd been selected by the Cubs and traded to the Reds in the Rule 5 draft.

But there is one story that sticks with me, so much so that I think of it every day. I was driving out of the players' parking lot at Great American Ball Park after a game in May, with Katie and our two girls. There's always a group of fans standing at the curb, hoping to get autographs, and I stop to sign as many as I can.

And on this particular night, a little boy of about 9 or 10, wearing a Reds cap, handed me a pen and something to sign. Nothing unusual there, but as I was writing the boy said, "Josh, you're my savior."

This stopped me. I looked at him and said, "Well, thank you. Do you know who my savior is?"

He thought for a minute. I could see the gears turning. Finally, he smiled and blurted out, "Jesus Christ." He said it like he'd just come up with the answer to a test. "That's exactly right," I said.

You see, I may not know how I got here from there, but every day I get a better understanding of why.

Look Who's Walking

2008-07-04T15:37:00.004-04:00

Parks is starting to get more and more bold. Here is a vignette of some of his recent tries at becoming bipedal.

A couple things to watch for:

Both boys are really starting to get interested in Duke and he is loving every minute of it. Watch for Duke and Wyatt playing, and Duke watching intently as he is left out of the "Circle of Trust." Also, notice the lo-tech play toys, like a printer box and Pampers box, the boys love to play with. At the end, I flipped the view screen around so the boys could watch themselves as I recorded. They are so fascinated and want to touch it...and eat it. Enjoy.

In Christ Alone - Travis Cottrell

2008-07-01T15:20:00.004-04:00

I was blessed to attend the Deeper Still conference in Atlanta this past weekend. The speakers were Beth Moore, Kay Arthur and Priscilla Shirer. It was absolutely unbelievable to worship with 20,000 other women! The teaching was life-changing. I cannot possibly list all that I learned this weekend and all the ways I was challenged.

I was able to spend time with my good friend of almost 20 years, JMom, and several friends of hers that I had never met. What a blessing that was in and of itself, especially to hear those women ask about my babies and tell me how they prayed for them during and after my pregnancy. The Body of Christ is truly amazing!

I want to include this song, "He Is," that Priscilla recited Friday night. It was one of the most powerful things I have ever heard!

In Genesis, He's the breath of life
In Exodus, He is the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus, He's our high priest
In Numbers, the fire by night
Deuteronomy, He's Israel’s Guide
Joshua, He’s salvation's choice
Judges, He’s Israel’s Guard
In Ruth, the kinsmen's redeemer
1st and 2nd Samuel, our trusted prophet
In Kings and Chronicles He is Sovereign
In Ezra, He’s the true and faithful scribe
In Nehemiah, the re-builder of broken walls and lives
In Esther, He’s Mordecai's courage
In Job, the timeless redeemer
In Psalms He is our morning song
In Proverbs, He is our wisdom
Ecclesiastes, He's the time and season
In Song of Solomon, He is the lover's dream
In Isaiah He is Prince of Peace
In Jeremiah, the weeping prophet
Lamentations, the cry for Israel
Ezekiel, the call from sin
Daniel, the stranger in the fire
Hosea, the forever faithful
Joel, the spirit’s power
Amos, the strong-arms that carry
Obadiah, the Lord our Savior
Jonah, the great missionary
Micah, the promise of peace Nahum, our strength and shield
In Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He's brings revival
In Haggai He restores that which was lost
IN Zachariah, He’s our fountain
And in Malachi, He's the son of righteousness rising with healing in His wings
AND THAT’S JUST THE OLD TESTAMENT

In Matthew Mark Luke and John, He is God and Messiah
In the spirit filled book of Acts, He is the reigning fire from Heaven
In Romans, He is the grace of God
Corinthians, the power of love
Galatians, freedom from the curse of sin
Ephesians, our glorious treasure
Philippians, the servant's heart
Colossians, He’s God and the trinity
Thessalonians, our calling King
In Timothy, Titus and Philemon, He's our mediator and our faithful pastor
In Hebrews, the everlasting courage
In James, the one who heals the sick
In 1st and 2nd Peter, our faithful shepherd
In John and Jude, He's the lover coming for His bride
AND in the Revelation, in the very end, when it’s all over, said and done, when time is NO MORE.
He is and will always be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace, son of Man,
Lamb of God, The Great I am, Alpha and Omega, God and SaviorHe is Jesus Christ the Lord
HE IS EVERYTHING THAT YOU NEED!

And the other thing that absolutely blew me away (other than the teaching of course) was this song that Travis Cottrell and the worship band sang. Here's a video of "In Christ Alone" with the lyrics. Listen and enjoy!

Two More From The Party

2008-06-14T15:51:00.008-04:00

I was looking back at the photos from the boys birthday party and found these two from different cameras that made me laugh. The first is a picture of the boys and us just before we let them dive into their smash cakes. Its a pretty normal picture that you would find at an event of this type...and this was the view from the other side of the camera. No wonder the boys
were a little overwhelmed!

Our New Home

2008-06-11T20:59:00.004-04:00

We haven't blogged much about our big move, but some of the regular readers may have picked up on it. In March, Todd, the boys and I made a move to a different state. We had planned to move to Atlanta, where I was certain to get a good paying job, and Todd would be more likely to the type of job he was looking for. I ended up accepting a position working from home full-time. So when that happened, we decided maybe the big city wasn't for us after all, and we decided to settle in a much smaller town that might be a better environment to raise our children. No offense against the ATL of course, we love the city we used to live in, but we were worried about education for our children and the cost of living, not to mention the traffic and long commutes.

So, we took a bit of a leap of faith, praying that Todd would be able to find a job in the field he loves, construction. In light of the housing crisis, we didn't know if that would happen. He began to open himself up to the possibility of working in commercial construction rather than residential as it seems a little more recession-proof. After being here 2 months, he had no real job prospects, let alone an interview. We tried not to dwell on it much, but both of us were beginning to get very discouraged. On the other hand, he was able to get some quality time taking care of the boys.

I'm happy to report that on Monday Todd will begin work with a commercial construction company about 45 minutes from where we live. While it's still a bit of a commute, there's no real traffic to speak of, and the company is providing him with a vehicle. That will certainly help with the commute! But more importantly, we feel certain this is where God would have us be. The gentlemen he's going to be working for are Christian men, who have boldly told him their priorities are God, family and work, in that order. These men have decided to invest their time, money and energy in my husband and teach him what he needs to know. We couldn't be happier.

We have had a rocky road as far as jobs and moves in the less than 5 years we've been married. There were too many moves to count. We both finally feel we are where we are supposed to be, and we can now finally begin to grow roots. We are finally somewhere that feels like home!

Life...At Random

2008-05-30T20:53:00.010-04:00

Here are a few snapshots of life in the last week. Sorry it's been a while since we posted. If you only knew. Wyatt is getting very proficient at this crawling thing and is no longer contained by the area rug in the living room. He's also getting very good at the cruising thing too.

This is a picture of the first morning we found Wyatt standing up in his crib. We promptly lowered the mattress.

Here is Wyatt helping put his Anywhere Chair together. These were their birthday presents which were ordered in plenty of time for their party, but had to be shipped back to Pottery Barn because they were shipped without the monograms. Then, we found out that they were backordered. Ultimately, UPS showed up at our door one evening, and we couldn't wait to assemble them.

Yes, we ordered two, but Parks wants not only what is his but also what is his brother's.

After a couple bumps to the noggin, we instituted a "bottoms in the chair" only policy since this picture.

Wyatt looking a little like Tom Cruise in "Risky Business" in this picture.

Parks already dreaming of his first car.

Comments

2008-05-25T10:12:00.006-04:00

I still can not get used to strangers' comments when we are out in public. Since we have made it a habit to get out of the house with the boys at least once a day, I just wait for what seems to be the inevitable. We are very gracious when the comments and questions start to come. We say "thank you" a lot and "yes, they are twins" a dozen or more times. Often we end up giving answers to a lot of the same questions. "No, we don't think they are identical. This one has blue eyes, and this one has brown ones." "Yes, this one is a little bigger, but the smaller one is older by two minutes." "Yes, they are a lot of work, but this is all we know."

I also love to keep my ears open for quiet conversations that occur that are not directed at us. I over heard one between a father and son that made me laugh. Wyatt still had his helmet at the time. The son said, "Look that boy hurt his head." The father's reply was, "No, he had to have surgery." Also, we get a lot of people that just stare nothing more. From the time that they spot us until the time that we pass them, they stare. They stare and say nothing more. We smile politely as we walk by them, and they continue to stare.

I could not imagine how much more attention we would draw if we had triplets or more. All in all, we are gracious and patient, but I can't help but chuckle a little inside everytime.

Birthday Party III

2008-05-21T20:51:00.009-04:00

This is the last installment of birthday photos. There are way too many to go through, and it already seems like a long time since the party actually happened. All the balloons are deflated, all the leftovers are eaten, and all the toys have been played with. We are looking forward to the second year of the boys life and the fun that will come. This was the adult cake for their birthday from Bruster's. A chocolate chip ice cream cake that was a lot larger than we thought it would be.

Big Papa holding Wyatt while everyone played outside. Wyatt still hasn't gotten used to the feel of grass on his toes.

Randi's parents holding Wyatt just before he dove into his smash cake.

The boys' grandmothers holding them before the festivities got kicked off. There seems to be a lot of holding going on in these pictures.

Parks examining a leaf. He was probably also getting held at the time. I think that he is going to be our baby that wants to be outside all the time.

Birthday Party II

2008-05-20T20:52:00.008-04:00

Here are some more photos from the party. There are still more to come over the next couple days. Wyatt in his party wear after opening his new Radio Flyer coupe. He loves to play with all the knobs and buttons.

Parks and mommy taking a break after opening gifts.

Parks and me after the meltdown that was the smash-cake.

Parks taking his turn in the car. Parks cares more about getting pushed around than all the gadgets on the dash.

Birthday Party I

2008-05-19T10:19:00.008-04:00

Parks and Wyatt had their birthday party this weekend. We are still going through the hundreds of pictures that were taken by us and family. Here are a few of them getting into their cakes. There will be many more to come soon.Wyatt digging in

Parks did not like getting dirtyUp close and personal

Parks Playing In The Sunscreen

2008-05-17T23:20:00.005-04:00

Me and the boys went to the Park one day last week, and we were slathering on sunscreen. As I rubbed it on their heads, we started playing with their hair. Parks had a very nice faux-hawk going, and I got a couple pictures of it. I am not being partial towards Parks. It's just that it didn't have the same effect with Wyatt. He looked more like Charlie Brown or Homer Simpson with his one or two hairs sticking up (which they always do anyways).

Wyatt Crawling

2008-05-16T20:54:00.006-04:00

Below is a video of one of Wyatt's first attempts at crawling. This is a huge deal in our house because Parks started crawling over two months ago. Wyatt's physical therapist told us the gap between he and Parks would widen as it came time for the more physical milestones...sitting up, crawling and eventually walking. We were beginning to think he might never crawl. We're so proud of our little man!

Here are a few things to watch for. He is whining the entire time. He is easily distracted, i.e. my talking to him, a piece of paper on the floor, or to study the lines on the rug. He takes a short recess half way to rollover on his back and grab his feet. With all the toys we have to coax him, he ultimately crawls to Randi to retrieve the remote control. Once he finally get what he wants, he sprawls out flat in total exhaustion.

Playtime Photos

2008-05-16T15:27:00.007-04:00

The boys playing with a punching balloon.

Wyatt playing in a kiddy pool we filled with plastic balls.

Parks getting in on the action.

The boys modeling their new duds.

Wyatt playing with daddy's visor.

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY PARKS & WYATT

2008-05-15T17:32:00.005-04:00

We are all recovering well from rotovirus in time for the boys' birthday celebration. It has been a pretty rough scene around here the last week. Somehow Wyatt has the immune system of steel and he never got it.

Wyatt decided to surprise us for his birthday. He has finally learned to crawl! He also learned to go from crawling to sitting and back, and he is very close to go from sitting to standing and lying to sitting. In a matter of a day or two, he has decided to show off all these new skills that we have been practicing for what seems like eternity. Parks is still very close to walking, but has not decided to take the plunge yet. That is fine with us. It's hard enough to chase him around now while he is crawling.

The boys are also off formula...forever. Nothing but Horizon whole milk from here on out. The boys are ready for their big party on Saturday with family. They've got big, fun new toys coming their way. We've got more photos and video to post, now that we are coming out of our shells from the last week.

Mother's Day At The Park

2008-05-12T21:21:00.009-04:00

We took the boys out in the late afternoon yesterday. The weather was perfect. It was the boys first time out to the park to swing and slide. There was a little apprehension at first, but they warmed up quickly. They were having so much fun. We could not push Parks high enough, and Wyatt would laugh every time we touched his feet on the upswing. Parks liked sliding down on his belly and tried to "kamikaze" a couple times, head first. Wyatt just enjoyed inspecting the pine bark left over on the bottom of the slide.

Parks and Aubie

Air Jordan?

They look like the pushmi-pullyu from the Dr. Dolittle story

Wyatt and his round head.

New Blog Look...Same Great Blog Taste

2008-05-08T20:27:00.004-04:00

I just wanted to send out a recognition for the new blog design. It took a little effort, but we think it turned out well for doing it ourselves. We used Cute Blogs for the background wallpaper and used Scrapblog to create the header with the boys' picture on it. We will keep evolving the blog as the family grows and matures. Thanks again for everyone peeking in on our corner of the world.

Milestones

2008-05-07T15:25:00.004-04:00

It seems the boys are hitting big developmental milestones the last couples of days. For posterity's sake, I thought I should blog about it. We still don't have a walker, but I feel like Parks will be taking steps within the next few weeks. He's getting braver everyday and even letting go for a second or two while cruising between pieces of furniture.

We have been practicing for months on both boys' pincher grasp. After every meal we give them Cheerios and Goldfish for them to try and feed themselves. I thought they would never get it, but last night at dinner Parks figured out how to feed himself Cheerios. Yeah!! No more of me and Daddy having to put them in his mouth. He's been feeding me and Todd Cheerios for two weeks, but he has now learned to feed himself.

Wyatt is wanting to pull up on everything, his crib, toys, furniture, and us. He's also really close to crawling. He gets on all-four and rocks back and forth. He has even started to belly crawl in the last couple days. It's only a matter of time before both of them are on the go. Lord, help us.

Foam Dome

2008-05-06T21:32:00.004-04:00

NO MORE HELMET!!! That thing was starting to smell like a middle school boy's locker room. You can imagine how bad it would have been if he'd of been wearing it this summer. Wyatt and I made the trip this morning to the orthotist for a head scan and evaluation. All major issues have been resolved. My son now has a symmetrically-shaped head. He no longer has a bulge on the right side of his forehead, has only a slight degree of flatness on the right rear quadrant, and his ears are aligned well.

Below is a copy of the scan we got today. The line in red is from January, when we first started the process, and the blue line is the one from today. They lowered him in a small U-shaped tube and in 2 seconds, had a 3-D scan of his head. He has made such great improvements and was so patient with the entire ordeal of the last three months. We often joke about how it would have been if Parks had been the one to need the helmet. WOW!!

Riding In Cars With Boys

2008-05-06T14:38:00.004-04:00

We have been taking the boys out in the afternoons to run errands and just to get out of the house for a while. Our hot spots are Target, Wal-Mart, Kroger, etc., and we get recognized all the time. It works well to wear the boys out before we put them to bed and break up the monotony of the day. Some times they get a little more tired than others. This emotion range can swing the pendulum in two very different directions. At times, it turns to tantrums and crying; other times it turns into laughing bouts of delirium. We captured one of those moments tonight on the way back from Mellow Mushroom.

Parks

2008-05-05T21:17:00.004-04:00

Parks was crawling up Randi's leg, and she snapped off this shot of him. You can tell be the look on his face that he is up to no good. He really wanted the camera, and it was only a few inches from his face. It was so washed out in color but turned into one of my favorite shots in black and white.

Antics

2008-04-30T11:18:00.006-04:00

Lori brought up the boys antics in her comment a couple posts ago. Well, here is some gravy for you on their recent happenings.

This is Parks after we went to Chili's one night. He had just finished a large helping of mashed potatoes and decided he wanted some of my quesadilla. He bit off a little more than he could chew and threw up everything on himself, the high chair, the table, and the floor. He has one of the easiest gag reflexes I've ever seen. We had no change of clothes (which we now carry with us everywhere) and went through a small forest of napkins to clean it up. So, he had to sit like this the rest of dinner and ride home in nothing but a diaper.

This is a picture of Wyatt with a large bruise under his left eye (see arrow). He is just learning to crawl and trying to do so from a seated position. We have had a hard time finding things that would motivate him to take the first step of lunging out towards the item. For Easter, the boys got soccer ball easter eggs that open in half to fill them with candy, and they loved them. The egg was open in half and was sitting edge-ways up. The next thing we know, he flops down face first onto the egg without putting his hands up. He ended up with a nice crescent imprint on his cheek for several days. That's life with boys, huh.

Mobile Phone Pictures

2008-04-28T21:35:00.021-04:00

I was clearing the SD card from my phone and found some candid moments when there just wasn't a real camera around.

This is a picture of Wyatt chewing on the table at our favorite pizza place in Pensacola. This same night we learned that he was deathly afraid of ceiling fans on high speed.

Randi captured these pictures of some of Parks' first smiles.

These are pictures of the family at A-Day, Auburn football spring game recently. The boys paid more attention to the people in the stands than they did to the action on the field. That is why we are not going to spend an extra $35-$50 per head to get them into football games this fall. We will save that until they are old enough to enjoy it...or we get free tickets.

These are pictures of Parks on an outing to Lowe's. As you might can see, we are in the outdoor power equipment area doing a little wishful thinking. He was still a little man, and this was his first trip in the front of the buggie.

Why We Blog

2008-04-26T16:09:00.017-04:00

Recently, I have had my reservations about continuing this blog and moving on with something else. In the beginning, we set it up as a way for family and friends look in on Randi's pregnancy from several states away, since they could not be there for the day-to-day. As problems progressed in the pregnancy, and we began to doubt the sustainability of Wyatt, the blog took on a life of its own. We were so encouraged and touched by others' stories and how the blog reciprocated those feelings back to them. The boys are now approaching their one year birthday in less than 20 days, and we have had some medical bumps in the road beyond the daily stresses associated with having multiples. At times, we have been complacent and stepped away, for weeks at a time, from our blog.

As I started looking back through all those old pictures from the NICU at how far the boys have come; the images still etched so solidly on our memories. Sometimes we can hardly recognize that these are the same two little boys who live with us now. We can only express a snippet of the unabashed joy that comes to us as parents at the quirkiness of our children as children. Although I could post several times a day, I would never capture the chuckle of a Buddha I get as I watch them collapse into sleep during their mid-day nap after struggling so hard to stay wake to play a few more minutes. Those moments are lost to our fleeting memories.

Some have said that blogging is merely egotistical self-massaging...well I guess it depends on your intentions. I see it as the new historical record. No longer do the victor go the spoils. Each is able to leave their own imprint. We are telling the story of our family as no one else can. One of the most rewarding times over the last couple years has been the culmination of this blog into a printed, published book through the help of Blurb.com. For Christmas, we gave copies of a modest 7X7 book to our parents and grandparents of our children's struggle to be born and mature. And even more rewarding, was secretly creating and giving Randi a copy of the entire blog from the last year. We hope to continue this through year two and three, and so on, of this blog.

I am a private person, guarded and reserved in my emotions. I am far too analytical and facts-based. There is a quote that is very near and dear to my heart by Leo Tolstoy in Family Happiness. Through the years I have found no text in literature of equal measure.

"He was right in saying that the only certain happiness in life is to live for others . . . I have lived through much, and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbor --such is my idea of happiness. And then on top of all that, you (look) for a mate, and children perhaps -- what more can the heart of a man desire?"

Peanuts And Cracker Jacks

2008-04-23T20:57:00.009-04:00

We took the boys to their first baseball game last night. The game started at 6 p.m., and their bedtime starts around 7 p.m., so we arrived early and left early as well. We had really good seats, so the boys were able to really watch the action. They perked up every time they heard the "ting" of the aluminum bats. Although, at times, they seemed to be just as interested in the crowd as in the game itself, especially the hecklers. Randi's brother, who's 19, came with us and got to warm up to the boys some more. We joked that he needs to borrow them one day and take them out on campus because all the girls were swooning over the "precious little twins." Here are some pictures from the game:

The boys discussing ERA's and slugging percentages during warm-ups.Randi's brother, Blake, holding Wyatt for the first time. Look at that grip.That face right there says SOO much about Parks. All those competing emotions just waiting to get out.He's like an orange on a toothpick. Housing his big brain.Mommy and Wyatt

Blue Christmas

2008-04-22T15:19:00.003-04:00

Our boys are starting to communicate with us more and more. Parks has started consistently and purposefully formulating his first sign to us. And what is it you may ask? Is it eat or more or drink? No, it is DOG? How appropriate. I guess the constant tail-swatting and face licking left quite a lasting impression. He will even sign for dog when we ask him about a specific dog by name.

Wyatt loves it when you copy the Campbell's Soup tag line, "mmm, mmm, good," while you are feeding him his fruits and vegetables. He really loves the "good" part, but he is usually in full, gummy grin with the "mmm, mmm's" in anticipation. Also, he is repeating back the "mmm's" consistently. I guess the word good is still a little complex.

Parks and Wyatt both have loved listening to daddy sing "Blue Christmas" in the bathtub for nearly six months. I try to sing it real deep and slow. I also ham-it-up a lot, worse than any cheesy, Vegas-lounge singing version of Elvis. Well, the other night I was full on into the second verse when Parks repeated back to me the full chorus--"Dial han ug boo boo boo keema." And, of course, he would not repeat it when I was able to get Randi in the bathroom.

They are really starting to pick up on a lot of what we are doing. Parks has taken special interest at Randi and I when we kiss in front of him. He looks at us with a sideways grin, not quite sure what we are doing. He knows somethings up.

Worth Fighting For...

2008-04-20T23:00:00.004-04:00

I feel led to share this evening about a sermon I heard today. The series is entitled Fight Club and the premise, from Northpoint Ministries' website, is "one of the most tragic stories in the Bible is that of David and Absalom. Absalom longed for his father's approval. David longed for the respect of his son. In the end, war came between the two, and one lost his life, while the other lost any chance for reconciliation. This message explores the dynamics of family relationships and why some battles are worth fighting."

My parents were divorced when I was only three. I have no real memories of when my mom and dad were married. What I remember is living with my mom and seeing my dad every other weekend and a month in the Summer. Unfortunately, as I hit adolescence my relationship with my dad began to fall apart and I was hurt by him repeatedly until I finally just gave up and cut all ties with him. It was never a decision I discussed with him, just a decision I made in order to protect myself. After much counsel I was able to work through what God had commanded me to do, and that was forgive my father. My struggle for the next 10 years then became a struggle of whether or not I had to reconcile with him just because I forgave him. I never had the chance for reconciliation. Our story, like King David and Absalom's, has a very tragic ending. My father took his life in October of 2006, just two weeks before I found out I was pregnant with Wyatt and Parks. With hopes of having children of my own soon, I was just beginning to open my heart and mind to the possibility of reconciliation.

Andy Stanley's point was when we are not in relationship with our family members, there is something in all of our hearts, that will tug at us until we are reconciled. These are the relationships worth fighting for. We must fight for them the way God fights for His relationship with us. After all the Lord has done in order to be in relationship with me, how silly of me to really believe that I could just get away with forgiveness, that I wasn't also commanded to pursue reconciliation, regardless of whether I would win or lose. As I listened this morning, to this incredible story it was so odd to not feel the conviction to reconcile with my father, yet so heartbreaking that I will never have that opportunity. Not only for myself, but for my children. So, if you are struggling with familial relationships and feel led or have a few minutes this week, you can listen to it for free here.

Funny Faces

2008-04-16T15:32:00.002-04:00

11 Months And Counting

2008-04-15T22:40:00.009-04:00

The boys are 11 months old today. Here are some recent photos of the them in their new environment. Plans are in the works for the big day next month. They are getting so big and aware. It should be a lot of fun.

Wyatt's big grin, now with the first signs of 2 teeth, and blue eyes.

Parks in mommy's arms. He's such a ham.

Wyatt in his normal position while eating.

Parks is much more of a slouch.

I love Wyatt's big grin in the background of this picture.

Caught'cha