Who's your daddy?

Faith protects her "daddy."

Is Morgan moonlighting?

Morgan has been out of town on business for the last two days so the girls and I hit the mall on Monday. We've had nearly 100 degree temperatures over the last week so the mall seemed like a cool alternative to the park. The only thing is that you don't spend any money when you go to the park! It's fun to see the girls walk around the mall, push their own stroller and play in the play area with the other kids. The mall's food court even has toddler-sized tables and chairs for the girls so we can enjoy our lunch before heading home. As we walked through a department store, the girls stopped at the picture above and insisted that it was daddy. I told them that I could see how their daddy was confused for a male model but that in fact, it was not their daddy. Morgan got a chuckle out of that when we talked on the phone later that night. This reminded me that Jennifer, my sister-in-law, brought us a picture that she found in a magazine over Christmas time. Guess who she thought it looked like? We asked the girls to see what they thought and they both said, "Oh, daddy!" It's tough being married to such a good looking guy but hey, some one's got to do it! Lucky me!

This is sure to embarrass him... Sorry, babe!

A night out

Family photo.

Morgan & Cat.

Rich & Emily.

Morgan and I went out on BOTH Friday and Saturday nights this week. I think that's a first, since we became parents. Grandma and Grandpa came over on Friday night while we enjoyed an evening at the theatre. We went to the annual Open Call to support our friend and director of the Tutoring Club, Courtney as she sang in an amateur talent competition. She was remarkable!

Rich and Emily came to visit on Saturday so we took the opportunity to go out for a belated birthday celebration in honor of Emily. She turned 21 last month! We had a delicious dinner at Pacifica and then went to Bing Crosby's for dessert. It was a fun evening of catching up with the two of them. Thank you to Grandma and Aunt Mary for watching the girls last night. We had a great time and we know the girls did too!

The Great Pursuit

In the midst of motherhood and living a busy life for the last year or so, there has been a clear and relentless presence in my life that has not left my side. He has been there patiently waiting, encouraging, pursuing, forgiving, and loving me unconditionally. I am speaking of the One who desires a closer relationship with me on a daily basis. God has been gently waiting on me with anticipation! The thing with God is that He never pushes, nags or tramples. He waits, actively. All the while, giving me glimpses of His power, peace, grace and unfathomable love.

Each morning, I wake up early. Not because I particularly want to. I just do. Although I pray every morning and read a devotional or two before starting my day, I have recently been feeling like God is giving me this time as a way for me to draw closer to Him. Truth be told, I've known this for a while now but shortly after it came to my heart's attention, it became something that I pushed aside; put on the back-burner. I thought, maybe someday things will just change? Maybe someday I will want to delve deeper into His word again? Maybe someday I will be a more passionate Christian like I used to be, instead of the lukewarm one that I've become? Why was I feeling this way? After all, it's not as if I don't spend any time with God. I read His word, pray, go to church, and serve. Had motherhood and life really taken that much energy from me? Or worse, was I just plain lazy?

Although I realize that this season of life requires time and devotion towards my family, my heart has been telling me that the few moments I do spend with God should be more intentional. In other words, I need to be more "present" in those moments. My time with God is not something to be checked off my "to-do list." Instead, it is to be the essential fuel and nourishment needed to help me get through each day. What greater gift can I give my family?

Oh Lord, you know how I long to feel your presence daily, how much I need you and how above all else, I seek your wisdom and will for my life. You are my everything. You are the beginning and the end. My Creator and Redeemer. My Father and Friend. Thank you for instilling that very small voice within me. Thank you for allowing me to sit still long enough to listen.... really listen. And thank you for your never-ending pursuit of my heart and soul.

Sunday with friends

The more the merrier!

Grace and Teagan.

Teagan says, "Come on in, Viv!"

The sprinkler in the froggy pool is a big hit.

The girls practice swimming.

The kids move to the spa.

Vivien smiles for the camera.

Grace got so excited when the jets came on. "Bubbles!"

Saying our prayers before dinner.

We invited two families over for a BBQ on Sunday afternoon. Hailey, Derek and Vivien (22 months old) and Shannon, Josh and Teagan (21 months old) all came over. All the kids are about the same age so it was so much fun to see them interact and play in the pool. Although our time together flew by, we enjoyed the fellowship with our new friends. We put the kids at their own kiddie table for dinner but unfortunately, they only sat still for about a minute. We ended up putting them all in their own seats to eat! Oh well. Thanks for a fun evening, guys!

The Living Desert

Their very own Safari Jeep.

Grace conquers the giant gecko.

Bighorn sheep.

Grace, our social butterfly.

The Common Buckeye Butterfly.

Orange butterflies... better known as Julia Heliconias.

The girls refer to their butterfly guides to help identify them.

Grace spots a Spicebush Swallowtail.

Faith loves to pet animals.

Grace is a little more reluctant.

Daddy helps her warm up to this sheep.

The girls see two giraffes off in the distance.

A closer look.

Faith tries out the giraffe telescope.

Waiting for Daddy to get the car.

Faith tries on mommy's hat.

We finally made it over to the Living Desert today. It's the closest thing we have to an actual zoo so that's what most people call it around here. A few of my girlfriends have asked me and the girls to go with them during the week but I've always declined for a couple of reasons. First, because I wanted to wait until Morgan could go with us to experience it with the girls on their first trip. Second, I knew that having two very curious toddlers means that you really need a

1-to-1/ adult-to-toddler ratio at this age. At least I do! Since we knew that we were only going to be there for a couple of hours this morning, it just made sense to buy a membership package instead of paying $24 just for the day ($12/adult). Kids under 3 are free so now that we're members, Morgan and I can take the girls anytime we want until April '09. Membership also means being able to come to the zoo much earlier than regular business hours and also receiving special discounts at other zoos. We only explored a fraction today but we could already see what a great experience this is going to be for the girls. The zoo even has shaded rest spots with tables, chairs and built-in misters. It'll be great for packing a snack or lunch and picnicking in the months ahead. Some highlights today... The butterfly exhibit, the petting zoo and the giraffes. The girls had a blast! We hear that during the week, you can actually even feed the giraffes! We'll definitely be back for that.

TGIF

Cutie pies.

Daddy leaves for work.

Cleaning the windows with their fake tortillas.

Strolling through the Polo Club.

Josh and the kids.

The girls make a Teagan sandwich. Or as they say,"Samich."

Faith, a.k.a. "Miss Independent" rides her own horse.

Teagan tries to climb in the fountain.

A cute back side photo.

All the kids love to play with water.

The girls show Teagan around.

Holding hands.

We stayed indoors all morning since we had to wait on the cable guy. We had some minor problems with our DVR box but I think it's all fixed now. It's terrible but in this fast-paced world, who waits for commercials anymore, right? In the evening, we decided to go to the polo grounds and let the girls run around again. Just as we got there, my friend Shannon and her family also drove up. Coincidentally, they're all coming over to our house on Sunday for a BBQ! Our husbands had not met yet so this was a great way for all of us to get better acquainted. I know Shannon from Mom2Mom and Teagan and the girls were in the same Kid2Kid group last year. Shannon and Josh have been in the process of adopting their newest son, Trey from Vietnam. They are anxiously awaiting a referral in the next few months and hope to travel to Vietnam before the end of the year.

We are so excited for them! As you can see, the kids had a great time. The girls were nice and tired for bed. What a fun way to spend a Friday evening!

When we got home, I said to Morgan, "How cute. The girls have made their first boy friend." He paused for a moment and said, "I'm their first boy friend. " True, daddy. Very true.

Mom's Night Out

It was a great turnout!

With my new role as VP of our Twins Club, I am becoming a bit more active as a member. That means, attending more things than just our monthly play dates. Last night, even though I was dog tired, I happily went to a much needed Mom's Night Out. I guess I couldn't exactly miss it, since I'm the one who planned the evening. As I predicted, I had a little more energy once I left the house. It was a fun evening of connecting with other twin moms and making some new friends. Faith and Grace were sad to see me go anywhere without them but that quickly changed as soon as I left. Apparently they asked for me a couple of times during the evening but other than that, they had a great time hanging out with daddy.

al fresco

Our Little Darlings.

The girls receive a Dora Taco set and cute clothes from

Aunt Lois & Uncle Jim.

Enjoying a yummy BBQ.

The girls make Uncle Jim work by fetching their cups out of the pool.

Grandma falls for this fun game, too.

Grace wants to kiss Grandpa.

They could play with the hose all day long.

Faith waters her flowers.

The Water Wheel is always fun.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

Daddy hoses them off.

Then he lets them play in the pool. Atleast he took off their dresses!

Our water babies.

A great way to end our weekend.

The girls love to go outside whenever they can. They often ask, "Side?, side? side?" With temperatures in the 90's this weekend, we enjoyed dining al fresco on both Saturday and Sunday. I like to eat outside for a few reasons... When we eat outdoors, we all eat at the same time and that means we eat together as a family. It also makes for a more relaxed atmosphere where messes just don't seem to matter much. All this, combined with the fact that there are plenty of things outside to keep the girls busy are all good reasons to enjoy the great outdoors! Morgan's Uncle Jim and Aunt Lois are visiting from Nebraska and came over with Grandma and Grandpa for a bbq on Saturday. The last time they were here was in January 2007. Not only was there a huge hole in our backyard (the pool had just been dug) but they missed meeting the girls by just a couple of months. It's great that they finally got to meet! On Sunday, the girls played with their water wheel in the afternoon. We should know by now that they get totally soaked anytime there's water around. Morgan decided that since they were already dripping wet, he'd just chase them around with a hose and let them play in the pool afterwards. We treasure our weekends!