Never Underestimate your children

I didn't dream of asking Savannah if she wanted to go off the high dive.  I didn't have to.  She asked her Daddy if she could and with the answer of yes, climbed up the ladder and jumped.  I missed the whole thing but luckily she did it again.

A Ducky and Caterpillar Birthday

The girls decided to celebrate with two different themes this year.  I guess this is something I am going to have to get used to.  Lila has fallen in love with duckies and wanted nothing more than to have a duck cake (just like Ernie's rubber ducky, she told me).  Adeline was torn between Thomas, Lightning McQueen and the Baby Einstein caterpillar.  I helped her decided upon the caterpillar and once it was decided she was super excited about a Baby Einstein cake!  The girls were so excited that they felt the need to sleep with their cake pans a few nights before their big day. 

After asking over and over if was their "birthday party day," days before their actual birthday, it was a relief to wake them up and tell the girls it had finally arrived.  Here they are fresh out of bed.


We decorated, struggled with balloons taped together like caterpillars and spent HOURS decorating the cakes.  Thank goodness Aunt Amy jumped on board or Lila's cake would have been a plucked duck.  Eventually it all came together and the girls were ready to party!  It was a lot of fun feeling their enthusiasm this year.

The party started with treasure hunt.  The girls followed clues to a treasure box hidden being the biggest tree trunk in the yard.  When opened they were thrilled to see caterpillars and ducks peering up at them.  We took the ducks and played Chuck the Duck.  Each duck had a design on the bottom and after chucking the ducks around the yards, the twins had to go and find matches.  They did really great job.  The last activity was Pin the Wing on the Duck.  Lila could clearly see through the scarf (no honor system for her) and Adeline was not going to let me tie it around her so my hands did the trick.  Eventually, the girls had fun spinning the other kids adults at the party and seeing how well they did at the game.

Here is a short clip of Savannah taking a crack at Pin the Wing on the Duck


It was finally cake time.  The girls LOVED their cakes.  They loved them so much that I was worried that they wouldn't let me cut into them.  Luckily, the girls didn't seem to mind as long as they got their desired piece.  Here are a couple videos of their big moments.  The second video captures the sweetest moment of the entire day (be sure to listen to what Adeline says to Lila).  All of my girls were happy for each other.  They really are able to think outside of themselves and celebrate one another.  Nothing makes me more proud!

So my babies are FOUR!  Where did the time go?  I dreamed of this day.  I prayed for this day.  I just never thought I would ever get the chance to participate in it.  Now that I have, I can honestly say that this was a typical 4 year old birthday party.  It was the first year that I didn't watch the clock and relive their births.  I wasn't caught up in the past.  Instead, we celebrated along side our very enthusiastic four year old girls.  Of course, that is the greatest gift of all!  It is amazing how time changes everything!

Here are some additional cute moments from the day.


Lila showing that she can blow bubbles and ride her bike at the same time. . .

Lila sneaking one of Adeline's presents out into the garage so that she can peek at what is inside. Funny how she wasn't brave enough to sneak her own.

Miss Adeline looking 4 going on 14

Lila telling the world she is FOUR

Happy Birthday Adeline and Lila Grace

You girls have come so far since your tiny start in this world four years ago.  Thank you for filling my world with love and laughter.  I love you more than you know!

Adeline Belle

Born: 

11:56 a.m.

1 lb 0 oz

11 inches

Journey home

125 days

Lila Grace

Born

3:45

1 lb 15 oz

13 inches

Journey home

90 days

We Were Still Waiting. . .

For the inevitable - the news that was going to crush my last few ounces of hope.  Adeline had held on past the one to two week time frame that was she was given.  She was still fighting.  We were still clinging on to that 5%  chance that Adeline would be born alive.

As Sunday, the girls' 4th birthday, approaches, I am always called to take time to reflect.  Four years ago, was the darkest time of my life.  Carrying a baby you know is dying is something I can never put into words.   I was angry, depressed, and begging for someone to give me a reason to hope.  I wanted to hold both of my girls.  It was that simple.  I wanted a nursery with two cribs.  Savannah deserved BOTH sisters.

The clock stood still, the days wouldn't pass, and my need for a positive sign wasn't being met.  Adeline wouldn't move inside me.  At each appointment, I held my breath and pushed back the tears while the technician searched for her heartbeat.  The tears of joy would always flow once it was found.  I remember one appointment where they were able to get a view of her face.  It was the first time in weeks that she had changed her position.  She was so real to me in that moment.  I felt as though I was holding her and that everything was going to be okay.

As I have said before, we begged and pleaded with God to give her a life to live.  For 29 long days He held my baby girl  in the palm of His hand!  

To this day, Adeline carries with her a will to fight.  She made it through the NICU, a 125 day journey.  She also continues to develop and progress much faster than developmental specialists typically predict.  Adeline fought to make it out of the womb and continues to fight to be all that she can be!  Her trade mark is perserverance.  Rightfully so!!

A Day with Papa

Each year, while vising Quincy, Savannah requests a trip to the desert. Papa always jumps at the opportunity. After growing up in a sea of sagebrush, I am surprised at how much it interests Savannah. I guess it is something we never see where we live which makes it prime for exploration on our trips out West.

This year, Savannah surfed and turfed with Papa. They visited a buffalo farm in the middle of the desert where Savannah became friendly with a dog - quite surprising. While at the farm, she was able to learn about the taxidermy process.

Next, they headed out into some more sagebrush to overlook the Columbia river. The water looked pretty nice so they headed down to Crescent Bar to play on the beach.   While down at the Crescent Bar, they hit the golf course and ice cream shop too!

One would think this is enough for a special Papa outing but one, very kind, man did not.  While Savannah and Papa were on the boat dock checking out the boats (something that Savannah claims to be afraid of) a man who owned a jet ski asked if Papa and Savannah wanted to take it for ride.  Without hesitation, Savannah hopped on and took quite the ride with her Papa.  What a suprise opportunity for both of them.

I'm sure Savannah will never forget this special day with her Papa!

Gymnastics Anyone?

Spokane

After a night in Pullman, sans kids, we met my parents and the girls in Spokane.  It has many wonderful activities for young kids in it's river front park area that Alex and I were not aware of from our earlier years in the area.  It is the same park where Mommy and Daddy got engaged.  The girls were able to visit the world's largest Radio Flyer wagon, feed ducks, ride a carousel, and play in the water fountains.  Lila especially enjoyed the ducks.  She held out a piece of bread and before she knew it, a goose took it right out of her hands.  She tried to feed the ducks out of her hands but the geese were too strong of a presence for her.

We also went on our first family ferris wheel ride.  It absolutely terrified me as I was stuck at the top with Savannah and Adeline in an old fashioned seat that rocked back and forth.  I tried very hard to put a smile on my face after telling Savannah to not move a muscle and make the chair rock.  Once we were going around it was fun to watch Daddy and Lila down below in their seat.  I was surprised that the girls weren't scared since the seats were so open and rocky.  After the ferris wheel, the girls hopped on a couple of other rides solo.  They are getting so old.  I just can't believe that they are comfortable riding solo.  Where did my babies go?

After a nice night in the hotel, we visited the local children's museum.  The girls had a great time with all of the exhibits and engaged in a lot of role play.  I love how they play together at times like this.  We ended the trip at our Mommy and Daddy's favorite restaurant for a quiet lunch before our two hour drive home.

We had a great time!  I marvel at how different my life is now in comparison to ten years ago.

Trip Down Memory Lane

While in Washington, Alex and I decided to go back and visit Washington State University (my undergrad and grad, and his grad school).  It had been ten years!!  The kids stayed with my parents and while we revisited our premarital stomping grounds.  We enjoyed seeing our old apartments, department buildings and, most of all, navigating our way through a town we lived in for many years.  Luck had it that our good friends from graduate school still live in the area.  We were able to crash at their place after a nice authentic Mexican meal and visit to our favorite pub.

Possibly, the most enlightening part of the trip, was our introduction to yard games.  Sue and Jon have many and Molkki, a Finnish throwing game, was my favorite.  We plan to incorporate it into our outdoor life at home - it was really fun!!.  Here are some pictures of our competition.