I dove in and co-founded a faith-based infertility prayer (support) group. {You can read more about Seeds of Hopehere. }
Ryker started talking and has not slowed down since. . .
We took a quick family vacation to Cincinnati.
We made a trip to Orange Beach, Alabama for the 2nd year in a row.
I repaired a couple broken friendships.
I ran my first Ragnar Relay …. and loved it so much I decided to help captain a team for 2017. Call me crazy ’cause I am.
Most of all, 2016 blessed us with so many opportunities to celebrate and enjoy our little family of 5. Trey and I are so grateful for the blessings we were given throughout the year and we look forward to what 2017 has in store for us.
Today I am enjoying the last few hours before my tiny little miracle babies turn two. Tomorrow morning, I will wake up as the mother of twin two-year-olds. God is amazing and we will be forever grateful for the blessings we have in these two crazy kids.
When I was pregnant with R&A, so many people would tell me, “Oh. You will have your hands full.” I knew being the mom of twins and a pre-teen would not be an easy task, but I felt I was up for the challenge. I’ve been doing this twin mama thing for two years now, and I can tell you- Yes. My hands are full. You should see my heart though. Being the mom of these three kiddos has got to be one of the best, most challenging, and rewarding things I’ve ever done. Ever. Yes. There are days when I hide in my bedroom to eat my lunch. Yes. There are days when I just want to wave a white flag and call Nana (my mom) to rescue me. Those days do happen, but then there are the days when I hear, “Mommy. Hold you.” and “Mommy wuv” over and over. There are days when I don’t shower because we’ve been playing “bass-e-ba” (basketball), having races, or watching Mickey Mouse. Eating is more important than showering on those days. Priorities.
Gavin (12) Ryker and Averlee (1) *R&A’s 1 year*
Ryker
Nicknames: RyRy. Ryker Roo. Averlee calls him “Roo Roo”.
Favorite Food: He loves ORANGES. He would eat an orange at every meal if I allowed it. Some days I pick my battles and he does get to have an orange with every meal. Vitamin C. Like I said. I pick my battles. There are worse things he could be asking for!
Favorite Game: This child LOVES to play basketball. He has a small play goal/ hoop that was in the garage. Well. The weather has finally cooled off here in Tennessee, so hanging out in the driveway to watch him play basketball had become quite a chilly event. I had the bright idea to move the goal into his room for him to play indoors. Now we play basketball every morning when he wakes up…. every morning before nap… every day after nap… and so on. He is actually pretty good! His big bro has been working on correcting his form. I guess we should start preparing for scouts or whatever because this kid is gonna be a ball player for sure!
Ryker is a huge fan of tractors, construction equipment, ball, his big brother, and his Mommy. Since it is the Christmas season, he has become fascinated with Christmas lights, or as he calls them “crinkle frights”. I try to get him to say it as much as possible because it is by far the cutest thing he’s said thus far in his short little life! It. Is. Fantastic.
Ryker talks a lot and often. He attempts to repeat anything and everything. He’s also learned to put himself in timeout. He will hit his sister and immediately report to timeout. Clearly I’ve failed as a disciplinarian somewhere, but I guess we have some time to work the kinks out!
Ryker is also PACIFIER FREE!! He does carry a certain blanket around with him everywhere though. We are slowly getting him to let me wash it at least once a week, but that’s only because Averlee has one just like it. I give him her’s as a decoy long enough for me to was his!
Averlee
Nicknames: I call her Averlee Beth. Ryker calls her “A-wee”. Trey calls her Averlee. Gavin calls her “V-V”. She says her name is “A-lee”. She might be super confused when she starts kindergarten. *facepalm*
Favorite Food: Averlee loves to eat anything out of Nana’s purse at basketball games. Before we can even sit down, she will start trying to open my mom’s purse so she can dig out whatever snacks or treats my Mom has. One game she at her own snacks, Ryker’s snacks, and even asked to eat the cereal bar my Mom brought for Gavin. A few weeks ago we had BBQ for dinner. Averlee loved it! She ate it with and without BBQ sauce. It was insane! I have never seen a child eat as much or as well as Averlee! She’s a champ.
Favorite Game: She loves to play the game “Whatever Ryker has, I want to take it from him.” Unfortunately, this game has not been playing out in her favor as of late. Ryker has learned to fight back! *Trust me. It’s a disaster. There are lots of tears and occasionally a bloody lip or two.* Averlee loves to have someone read a book to her. Anytime she and I are playing in her room by ourselves, she tells me to “sit down” and she’ll select a book from the shelf. She will then sit in my lap and repeat after me as I read her the book. Even though she has shelves and shelves of books, lately we’ve read the same two books over and over. That’s totally fine with me though! I’m just excited she likes to have someone read to her!
Averlee had a rough first year and a half of life, but the last couple of months have been so much more enjoyable. She clearly feels better! She is a sassy little spitfire. She is so full of personality! It’s so neat to just watch her as she tries to figure out how to do something. She rarely asks for someone to help her do anything unless it’s to take something from her brothers. Her favorite person is hands down – Nana. She would probably go live with Nana if that was an option. It isn’t. She’s stuck with me as her mother!
Ryker & Averlee – 18 months*
In August of this year, Ryker and Averlee started a Parents’ Day Out program twice a week. At first it was not an enjoyable time for Ryker. It broke my heart to leave him knowing he was so upset and crying “Mommy” all day. In the last month or so he has gotten so much better though. There are no more tears when I drop them off! They have a lot of from from what I’ve been told. Ryker talks about a little boy named Carter all of the time. I’m not sure if Carter realizes it or not, but I think Ryker wants to be his best friend.
Averlee loves to color at school. She never says much about friends, but she will tell me all about her lunchbox and “packpack”. I’m sure one day she will fill me in on the happenings of school. That day is not today though! .
Dear Baby Bell 