9 Months!!

Just a few days ago the boys turned 9 months old. Where is the time going!? They're almost little men, good grief!

The boys are awesome. I can't tell you how many times I get asked, "Are they always this good?" Yes! They are always good. Seriously, I do not take it for granted. They are great little boys and getting sweeter by the minute.

Luke is our "crazy big boy" as Lilly describes him. He's big, strong, determined, solid, sensitive, sweet, and he's about to take off. The boy is determined to walk. He is standing briefly on his own, cruising, and pulling up on anything and everything. He constantly wants to climb the stairs and can figure out how to weasel his way into and out of the baby gates (often with the help of a sister...). Luke still loves to eat and hasn't met a food he doesn't like. His hands are huge and like a puppy with big paws we wonder if it means anything regarding his future size. Speaking of hands, Luke has begun to clap. It's adorable. Luke loves his daddy and cries when Andy leaves the room. It's very sweet and I try very hard not to get jealous. ;-)

Gabe is our "quiet slow boy" as Lilly describes him. Really, he isn't slow but rather takes a slower approach to life. Gabe is pensive and likes to observe, study things, and play. Gabe is sweet, flirtatious, calm, quiet, gentle, and is starting to move as well. Gabe is beginning to crawl and gets so proud when we cheer for him. Gabe is a smiley baby (they both are) and is very easy going. He is a pickier eater but a much neater eater! He has begun to feed himself and prefers fruit over veggies. As you'll see below, Gabe is much more like his sister Ella when it comes to listening to Mommy!!

The chair picture is getting progressively more difficult...

"No no Gabey, stay put!!! Don't you copy your brother!!"

Gabe!!! I thought I had the shot.

Toilet paper to the rescue!

We love you baby boys. Smooches.

Happy Easter!

Day 4

Our frame is complete.

Can I get an AMEN?

The days are draining for sure but we've learned a lot and have immensely enjoyed the last four days. Life's funny like that. I spent a month dreading the start of construction and a month making myself worried sick about how the boys would sleep during the framing. The time came and went and the boys didn't miss a beat. They slept beautifully and so did Ella. Watching the guys work gave Lilly something to do on her spring break, we went on many bike rides, watched less TV, spent more time with Andy since he was home overseeing the construction, and formed a bond with the framers and learned from their way of life. What hidden treasures we found.

We have done a lot of juggling babies, that's for sure. These boys are amazing. They go with the flow and are pleasant and easy. Thank you God!

The addition is boarded up so Lilly doesn't fall out of the open windows so the light is dim. This is the view down part of the hallway and into the door of the new master bedroom.

The view from the hallway to our new bathroom...

Stella was crying and this is where we found her. Silly cat.

We first met with our prospective framer, Alfredo, a year ago. I was pregnant with the twins and met him in the driveway to discuss our plans for an addition. Lilly was immediately smitten with him and him with her. Alfredo is from Guatemala and speaks pretty good English. We later met with him and part of his crew and Lilly again was drawn to them. She even took pictures of them with my cell phone. They all laughed and assured us she was not bothering them. When the left that day about 8 months ago, Lilly told me she wanted to marry them. Ha.

Last Friday Alfredo and his crew arrived and Lilly spent most of the last four days hanging out on her bike in the front yard, watching them work, and chatting with them. They were so tolerant and sweet to her. Andy and I grew to really care about Alfredo and his crew as well. There is something so genuine and honest about these guys. Not only were the hard workers but they had integrity and grace even through ten hour days of very physical work. They were always friendly and in good spirits from sun up to sun down.

Tonight, we spent some time chatting with Alfredo as they were finishing up. We were all sitting in the new master bedroom talking about life in Guatemala, how many of them are homesick, how tough life is working in America, how Alfredo's brother is here on a 3 month work release and left behind a 6 month old daughter and wants to go home, how hard it is to pay bills, how they support their families back in Guatemala, Alfredo's 7 years spent living and working in Richmond, Virginia, and how he plans to make it back home to his mom, dad, 5 brothers, and 1 sister by the time he turns 30. The kids were with us while we chatted but during that time Lilly slipped away. She returned with coins in her hand from her piggy bank. She walked up to Alfredo and handed him $.17 and told him that she wanted him to have it since he said he didn't have a lot of money. She then proceeded to give each of the guys a half dollar from her collection of special coins that Andy gave her from his childhood. They were very touched and so were we. As the time came for them to leave, we took a picture of Lilly and the crew...

*Alfredo has his arm around Lilly.

Alfredo called her "Leelee" which she loved. When they pulled away, she sat on the front porch and sobbed, "I am going to miss Alfredo so much!!" Andy and I felt very emotional as well and I can say that as I type this, I know that we were changed by our experience and time spent with Alfredo and his crew. I never would have thought we would have this experience and I am so very grateful for our time together.

Day 3

I have never felt this tired in my life. I really can't remember a time when I woke at 6:30 a.m. and didn't sit down until 8:00 p.m. I'm not even sure why I'm not getting any breaks or why my days are different since the addition started but I do know that I have not sat down since Thursday of last week and today I'm feeling it. Hoping it will all be worth it. Today I had a great day with the girls since it's Lilly's spring break. We took a friend to a playground in the morning, had lunch out, and Lilly and I took a bike ride this afternoon.

Here's the progress made today ...

The most exciting part of the day is the new entryway from upstairs! No more climbing a ladder to get a peek.

This is our new guest bedroom or one of the boys' bedrooms if they ever want their own room.

This is our new master bedroom. I love the window and the cathedral ceilings. Can't wait to lie on our bed and relax. Hee hee.

Looking from the back of the addition to the front...

I can't say enough about the plans Andy created (he's really a genius) and the work Alfredo has done. It's neat to see it coming together. It finally feels real. The best part of all is that the boys are still napping, twice a day, in their own cribs through all the thumping, banging, and hammering. I couldn't be more relieved!

**Today Lilly said to Alfredo, "No Alfredo, I can't marry you because I'm just a little girl!!" He calls her "Lee-lee" and he's so sweet to her. She periodically calls up from the yard, "Alfredo!? Be careful up there!!"

Construction

We're building up!

We've been planning an addition to our home for a little over a year. We are adding two bedrooms and a master bathroom. We're also moving our washer and dryer upstairs and turning our current laundry room into a pantry. Finally, we're doing some changes to our current family room (adding windows and changing fireplace). Friday, we finally started. It's both scary and exciting!
Andy is the contractor...

These guys work hard and nonstop for 10 hours.
It's amazing what they accomplish in a day.

We have moved everything into our front living room where I spend all day keeping the kids occupied, happy, and fed. It feels like a cage.

Our old family room is now tarped off from the house and is a total mess. I try not to look.

As seen in my last post, the framers tore down our roof the day before torrential downpours arrived (for 12 hours straight). We thought the tarps were going to suffice but they didn't. The rain came into our garage, closet, bathroom, laundry room, and family room. When standing in the family room, you needed an umbrella. We decided around 2 p.m. that we were in trouble and Andy ran out to buy a (mega expensive!!) 30 ft x 50 ft tarp that would cover the entire roof. By 3 p.m. it was no longer raining in our house but damage was done.

Andy and Thomas stood in the cold pouring rain for quite some time spreading out and nailing down the tarp.

We had dinner with Thomas and Jackie, laughed about our soaking family room floor, and moved on. Today, we awoke to beautiful skies and Alfredo and crew accomplished a lot! I had guilt all day that they were working on a Sunday.

There is a small chance for rain tomorrow so they covered the roof with the tarp before they left but this time we're not worried since there's a roof!

Tomorrow they plan to come and finish the frame. Three days and we have a frame. Amazing and virtually painless. Thank goodness!!

The View From Here ...

Morning Light

Some mornings go so smoothly I'm able to bask in the morning light watching my precious kids play, smile, wonder, watch, and love life. We had a couple mornings like this last week. Lilly got off to school on time and without a fuss, the littles stayed in their pajamas, napped, ate, played, and relaxed. I love calm, peaceful times with my kids.

After I got Ella dressed I convinced her to let me put her hair up into her first ponytail. She looked so grown up it killed me.

Luke was napping while Ella and Gabe enjoyed some togetherness.

When he woke he enjoyed some lunch in a pink bib! Ha! Someone is always wearing a pink bib.

There are not too many relaxing days that go smoothly and when the stars align I take many moments throughout the day to be thankful.

Love

Love. Pure. Simple. Beautiful.

Creative Chicks Rule

I love smocked dresses and large hair bows.

Lilly appeased me for a few years but she's hit five and she's onto her own clothing creations. I fear she will never return. I am trying to embrace the creativity when really I want to send a note to her teachers telling them I did not pick out her outfit. I have refrained from doing so with the assumption that any sane person realizes that our spunky first born has taken over the task of dressing herself.

It started with tacky (sorry Lilly!) graphic t's. It has snowballed into wacky color combinations and socks with tights adding in some bizarre hair requests and leg warmers.

All kidding aside, I do love this kid and her mind so much. She may be one tough cookie to parent but she's also bright, hysterical, fiery, animated, loving, and sweet.

Lilly has a mind of her own and what she'll do with it, I can't wait to see!

Our first baby girl is growing up.

Memories

I was bathing Luke the other day and he stuck the washcloth in his mouth. It sparked a memory in me of Lilly as a baby.

I rummaged through my pictures and quickly put my fingers on the memory.
I laughed when I realized it was the same washcloth!!

These two are two peas in a pod. Really. It's crazy. I have only been able to find one difference in their personalities so far. When we take Luke into a crowded room or social gathering, he becomes still and quiet. It's the only time he's still. I recall Lilly was super social and got excited in groups. It's fun to watch our children grow and develop and while I do compare for fun, I try not to compare them in all seriousness. I just enjoy looking back at pictures and am so grateful that I took so many.